


witchcraft for dummies

by tentoheaven (firstmins)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten is Whipped, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, Humor, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is Whipped, M/M, No Angst, One-Sided Rivalry, Rivals to Lovers, Witch Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Witches, eventually, ten is dramatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27249838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstmins/pseuds/tentoheaven
Summary: "From what you told us, it sounds like Haechan is doing this for attention.Yourattention.”“You can’t be serious,” is all Ten says, but his mind is racing. Why would Haechan even want his attention? Sure, he doesn’t appear to bother anyone even half as often as he does Ten, and he does show up at all the places Ten goes to, but that has to be a coincidence.Right?(In which Ten is a witch who takes his job seriously, Donghyuck just wants his crush to notice him and both of them need to figure out better ways of achieving their goals.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 33
Kudos: 192





	witchcraft for dummies

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so. This is a fic that I've been working on for three months now, and I can honestly say that I've never loved anything I've written as much as this. I had so much fun writing it and ended up falling in love with the characters, so I really hope you guys will too! I know this is a rarepair, so I'm not expecting much, but first and foremost I wrote this for me so that's okay. I'm happy to be able to contribute to the TenHyuck tag! 
> 
> A huge shoutout to my beta and full-time supporter [Ari](https://twitter.com/kunclipse)! They have some amazing fics as well, so make sure to check them out :D
> 
> Lastly, I apologise for my questionable knowledge of tarot and palm readings, I did my best to research it, I swear. I hope you all enjoy this fic!

There’s an old saying, frequently used among witches, claiming that there’s not a magical thing the Moon Market can not provide.

Ten has never found it hard to believe; one look at the place and you can tell it bleeds magic. Even your average human can see it. It’s everywhere, from the road lighting up under the moonlight to the people walking over it. It’s in the lamps, floating between stands like colourful fireflies, it’s in the fairy lights, chiming with giggles as they turn rozy under the awe-filled gazes of adults and children alike. It’s in the music; a street musician telling her rueful story through her magically enhanced violin, memory clouds appearing with every note, allowing strangers to experience what she once felt. 

Even after all these years, it still manages to mesmerise Ten every time.

...Almost every time.

Because tonight Ten’s eyes aren’t drawn to the dancers, twirling with raindrops, or the lanterns exploding in bursts of colour. No, tonight they are fixed on one particular stand-owner, and they are filled with _fury._

“Sir! Do you wish to know what your future holds?”

That voice. Always cheerful. Always _smug_ , if you’re smart enough to recognise it. 

“You there, little one! I can see great things await you!”

Always that charming smile, turning faux-innocent whenever it’s directed at Ten. A glint in the eye, evidence of mischief.

“Usually a reading costs four coins — a deal, believe me, any other witch would ask at least six! — but for a pretty boy like you? I’ll make it three.”

Always using any possible method, ranging from flirting to evoking pity, just to steal Ten’s customers. If Ten didn’t know any better, he’d be convinced there was use of charmspeak at play, an explanation for the fraud’s success.

But if Ten is anything, it’s a damn good witch, so he _does_ know better. And years of intense training and studies tell him that there isn’t a magical bone in Lee Haechan’s body.

“Goodbye, miss. Don’t forget to avoid those bumblebees next month!”

It’s ridiculous and Ten is sick of it.

Haechan showed up for the first time three weeks ago, at a Sunday market a few towns over. Ten had shrugged him off at first. He is hardly the only witch making a living like this, selling potions and his services on various markets and fairs across the country. He’d been fine with it, until some of his regulars, clients who’d been asking him for advice for _years_ , started to wander towards Haechan’s stand instead.

Ten doesn’t understand it. Everything about Haechan’s stand screams fraud, or at least obvious beginner. Made out of scrappy cardboard, covered in tons of golden glitter with a messily drawn star here and there, it looks like a five year old could have made it. To top it off, a giant banner hangs over the stand, with on it in big curly handwriting _Mystical Haechan Knows All_ and, right beneath it in smaller letters, _face your future now!_.

It’s tacky, yet somehow people _still_ get drawn to it. Ten thinks it has more to do with Haechan himself than with the stand. His loud demeanor, unabashedly calling upon strangers on the streets, picking them like flowers from a field. Meanwhile, Ten watches as more and more people file towards the stand across from him, not even sparing him a second glance.

For three weeks his anger has grown, and maybe it would’ve been fine if Haechan wasn’t so _infuriating_. Because one thing has become very clear to Ten. Haechan knows exactly what he is doing, and revels in it.

Kun had insisted he was just being paranoid when Ten told him he saw Haechan _wink_ at him as he stole one of Ten’s regulars from under his nose.

“He’s doing his job, just like you,” Kun had calmly said, not looking up from the potion he was stirring.

“I don't scam people!”

“At least give him the benefit of the doubt,” Kun chastised. “You never know, maybe he truly has a gift for divination.”

Ten huffs when he thinks back to it. He’s willing to bet his left kidney that Haechan doesn’t have the slightest clue what he’s doing, _that’s_ how sure he is of his case. He shakes his head in an attempt to clear it as he returns his focus to Haechan’s stand.

He’s busy with a customer, giving them a tarot reading. It’s not Ten’s field of expertise, but he knows the gist of it. His mother had a gift for it and insisted he learned it as a child, but those memories feel foggy now.

One thing he does remember, is that you’re not supposed to dramatically shake the cards in the air, or blow on them while whispering words Ten is too far to hear. He can’t help the incredulous look that slips on his face as he watches Haechan proceed. 

The customer leaves with a smile on their face and Haechan turns his gaze towards him. When he sees Ten’s glare, his mouth drops open for a second before it curls into a cheeky smile. Then, right there and then, he leans over his stand and blows Ten a kiss.

Ten wouldn’t be surprised if there was smoke coming out of his ears at this point.

“Excuse me, do you have any potions to ward off pixies?”

Ten startles, quickly plastering a smile on his face before turning to his customer. “Sure, one second.”

The thing is, Ten hadn’t expected to see Haechan here tonight. The Moon Market only happens once a month, on the night of the full moon, and is completely organised by witches, in a town primarily inhabited by witches. That means that Haechan must have some kind of contacts in the magical world, though Ten can’t possibly imagine which dignified witch would want to be associated with someone like him. Needless to say, the good mood Ten had been in all week instantly came crashing down when Haechan called his name from a distance, waving his arms excitedly in a greeting. 

As the night grows darker, more people fill the marketplace, and Ten is grateful for the crowd. He’s kept busy for the rest of the event, and if he hears an overly happy voice a few feet away, he’s glad to ignore it. 

The Moon Market lasts until dawn, meaning Ten is struggling to keep his eyes open by the time it starts to come to its close. It’s a good thing Yukhei stopped by with coffee a few hours ago, his thermal magic helping him to keep it warm along the way, despite the cold autumn air.

There’s about half an hour left until he can close his stand and head home, and the place is almost deserted by now. Ten has allowed himself to take a seat, no longer trusting his legs to keep him upright, and tries to stifle his fifth yawn in the past three minutes. It doesn’t help that his dreams have been keeping him awake again lately, adding to his already exhausted state.

He’s almost beginning to doze off when he hears footsteps approach, causing him to jump upright in a second. There’s no way he’s risking his good reputation just because he’s tired. He’s already smiling broadly by the time he looks up, only for it to turn into a grimace when he sees who it is. 

“You,” he says, with more venom than intended. 

Haechan, to his credit, doesn’t look the least bit perturbed. “Hello, colleague!” He chirps. Ten wonders how the hell this guy always has so much energy. 

“We,” he says slowly, “are not colleagues.”

If anything, they’re rivals, except Ten doesn’t deem Haechan anywhere near worthy of that title. 

Haechan’s grin doesn’t falter, quite the opposite, in fact. “You’re right.”

Ten raises his eyebrows. 

“We’re friends!”

What if Ten just threw a vial of bat-attractant at him? There’s no way he’d still bother Ten after that. 

He eyes the vial of purple liquid with longing, before discarding the idea with a sigh. He won’t allow himself to stoop that low. 

“What do you want, Haechan?”

Haechan appears to be vibrating with excitement. “You make potions, right?”

Ten squints his eyes in suspicion. “I do.”

Grinning, Haechan takes a step closer. 

“Do you sell love potions?”

Ten gives him a disbelieving look. That’s slowly becoming his standard expression when it comes to dealing with Haechan. “Those are illegal to even _brew_ , how can you not know that?”

“Huh,” Haechan says, not looking all that surprised. “You learn something new every day, it seems.”

“Right. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Haechan pouts at his curt words. “Tennie—!”

“Don’t call me that,” Ten interrupts through gritted teeth.

“Do you want to get rid of me that badly?” The pout somehow intensifies, making Ten feel like he just stole candy from a toddler. But he knows better than to give in.

“Yes,” he says dryly.

For a moment, Haechan actually looks upset by his response. Ten is about to apologise when Haechan lights up like a lightbulb. The smile on his face looks nothing short from evil.

“I see,” Haechan says in a way that tells Ten he most definitely does _not_ see.

“You’re playing hard to get!” He exclaims with a wink.

Ten sputters, “what?”

“It’s okay, Ten-Ten,” Haechan continues, completely unbothered. “You’ll accept my friendship eventually! Just you wait, soon enough you’ll be lost without me.”

He gives Ten a final cheeky grin before turning on his heels, going back to his own stand. Ten can’t do anything but stare, fuming. _Who does this guy think he is?_

♪♫♪

“I don’t see why you’re so worked up about this,” Johnny says over the phone the next morning.

“You haven’t met him,” Ten explains in a solemn tone. “I’m telling you, he’s a demon summoned from hell specifically to torture me.”

There’s a low chuckle on the other side of the line. Ten bites his lip as he holds his phone against his ear with his shoulder, using his hands to pour the steaming liquid before him in a vial.

“That would take some strong magic,” Johnny says jokingly. “No offence, but I doubt anyone would spend that much energy on you, Tennie.”

Ten opens his mouth to retort, only to hiss when some of the potion spills, burning his finger. He puts down the cauldron and reaches for his paper towels. “I’m a delight, John. Anyone would and _should_ invest their energy in me.”

A snort. “We’re talking about bad intentions here, not possible suitors. Unless there’s something about this Haechan you forgot to mention.”

Ten scrunches his nose at the implications. “No, he’s nothing but a fraud, and a pain in the ass.”

Johnny hums in contemplation. “A good or bad one?”

“ _Johnny!”_

“Chill, I’m kidding!” He laughs. Ten is unamused.

The burn on his finger isn’t too bad — he’s had worse, on multiple occasions. For now he presses an ice cube against it, hoping it’ll be enough. If it still hurts later, he can always ask Kun to make him an ointment.

“I just don’t get how he’s everywhere,” Ten laments. “Up until a month ago I had never seen the guy, and suddenly he’s standing at all the markets I attend!”

“It’s not unusual for starter-ups to follow someone else’s footsteps. Maybe he recognised your experience and realised you’d know all the best places.”

That’s reasonable, but not any less unnerving. “So he’s stalking me.”

“That is _not_ what I said, and you know it.” There’s some shuffling on Johnny’s side, the sound of papers being ruffled. “He seemed younger than you, right? Don’t forget that once upon a time, you were a novice too.”

Ten sighs. It’s not like he doesn’t know that, he gets it. But Johnny hasn’t seen Haechan in action, hasn’t seen the blatantly taunting looks he gives whenever he does something that is the furthest thing from magic. Ten doesn’t know why Haechan is doing this, but it sure as hell isn’t to learn.

“He’s not a witch,” is all Ten says, no longer bothering to try and explain. “I can tell, Johnny. There’s not a drop of magic in his blood, so there is simply nothing for him to learn.”

“You can’t know that,” Johnny argues, similar to what Kun has told him before.

“I do know it.” Ten presses his lips together, thinking. “I do know it,” he repeats, “and I’ll prove it.”

♪♫♪

“I’m pretty sure your colleague is plotting my demise again,” Sicheng whispers in his ear, a tinge too serious to be completely joking.

Ten looks around but finds nothing, then turns back to Sicheng with a frown. “What?”

It’s Thursday, which means that he’s on the weekly market his friend also works at. Ten had been glad to find another witch amongst the humans crowding the place, and they’d hit it off immediately. Things worked out even better when Ten found out Sicheng dangled with magical ingredients, and soon he became Ten’s regular supplier. Ingredients for potions are hard to come by, unless you know where to look, but even then unreasonably expensive. Sicheng, however, is a fair man, and doing business with him is always a pleasure. Besides, there’s the added bonus of the latest gossip and updates of the witch community in that region. Sicheng has a keen eye and a talent for camouflage magic, which makes him one of the best people to go to for information. Next to Yangyang, obviously.

“Mystical Haechan?” Sicheng says in an uncertain voice. “I noticed a few weeks ago, but thought it was a fluke. I’ve been keeping my eye out since, and I swear he’s glaring at me every time.”

Huh. Sure, Haechan is bothersome on a good day, but Ten has never known him to be outright hostile. He takes a subtle look over Sicheng’s shoulder and, lo and behold, a murderous looking Haechan. A laugh escapes him before he can stop himself. In between his fluffy brown hair and his glittery makeup, Haechan is the furthest thing from intimidating. His glare is impressive, and Ten has no doubt that if looks could kill, Sicheng would be a dead man. But the angry pout on Haechan’s lips makes him look more like a disgruntled duck than an actual threat.

“That certainly is unusual,” Ten says when he finally pulls his gaze away. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look anything but overjoyed.”

Sicheng’s frown deepens, expression laced with concern. “Have I offended him in some way?”

Ten smiles and pats him on the back. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. I don’t care about Haechan’s opinion, and neither should you.”

Puzzlement clouds Sicheng’s eyes for a couple of seconds before they widen in realisation.

“He’s the guy you’re always complaining about? The wannabe witch?”

Ten frantically hushes him, scared that the person in question would overhear. “Watch out, he has the tendency to eavesdrop.”

“Didn’t you just say you don’t care about his opinion?” Sicheng asks, raising his eyebrows.

Ten shrugs, then crosses his arms. “Still, I don’t want to lower myself to his level of taunting. I’ve got to be the bigger man, you know?”

To that, Sicheng snorts. “Since _when_?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know, I’m a responsible adult.”

“That time you dyed Kun’s hair bright pink as revenge last month says otherwise. All he did was be better at brewing potions than you, and this is _Kun_ we’re talking about.”

Ten shoots him an indignant look. “That’s not what that argument was about! I dyed his hair because he was rubbing his skills in my face, like, I’m sorry we can’t all be potion prodigies, mister Qian.” Ten huffs. “Besides, he totally pulled off that look, the bastard.”

Sicheng shakes his head with a sigh. “No wonder people find it hard to believe you two are actually friends.”

“That’s totally his fault,” Ten quips. 

Before he can continue, Sicheng raises his hand to shut him up. “We’re not having this conversation again. Do you have the list of ingredients you need?”

Ten nods and turns around to fetch his bag, digging through various objects (some more questionable than others), before letting out a small ‘aha!’ when his fingers grasp a piece of paper. He hands it to Sicheng, whose eyes scan the words in a second.

“That’s all?” He asks, quirking up an eyebrow.

Trying not to let his embarrassment show, Ten explains, “Business hasn’t been great lately.”

He’s sure Sicheng doesn’t miss the pointed look he sends Haechan’s way, but he doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t take long for Sicheng to find the things Ten listed, and by the time he’s handing them over, Ten has already prepared twelve coins.

“I hope you’ll be able to spend some more next week,” Sicheng jokingly complains and Ten laughs.

“You and me both, buddy,” Ten says, placing a hand on his shoulder. It’s by chance that he looks over his shoulder, noticing the way Haechan’s eyes narrow at the action. Confused by his behaviour, Ten frowns. 

He sees the exact moment Haechan realises he got caught, his eyes widening before he ducks away behind his stand. Not before Ten could notice the flush on his face, though.

_Strange._

Only once Sicheng leaves does Haechan reappear from behind his stand, still looking a bit frazzled. It’d almost be cute, if it weren’t so puzzling. And if it weren’t, you know, Haechan. Ten shakes off the thought, focusing on his next customer instead.

♪♫♪

“He was acting so weird yesterday.”

Kun hums, eyes on the concoction he’s brewing. Ten knows he’s listening, even if his friend likes to claim he’d rather be doing anything else.

“Who?” Another voice asks from beside him.

While Kun has been hearing Ten rant about this for long enough not to ask questions, Yangyang clearly hasn’t been filled in yet.

“My nemesis,” Ten says in the most serious tone he can muster. It’s not a hard thing to do; he’s still having trouble sleeping, so he already sounds more like a zombie than a living being whenever he speaks.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Kun says, not for the first time. “Just a fortune teller who works at markets as well. Ten here is convinced the poor guy is after him or something.”

“He mocks me!”

Ten isn’t sure why he even tries anymore, Kun barely ever changes his mind.

Yangyang, on the other hand, seems more than amused. “I love him already. Can I meet him?”

Just the thought of Yangyang anywhere near Haechan is enough to fill Ten with dread. “No way. I don’t have a death wish.”

“For once I agree with Ten,” Kun laughs. “You already wreak havoc enough on your own.”

Yangyang crosses his arms, displeased. “I can’t believe you would deprive me of meeting the potential love of my life!”

Ten pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yangyang, you already have two boyfriends.”

“What can I say? There’s no limit to my love.”

Ten had come here for a simple sleeping draught, but instead the headache that’s been building up throughout the day only intensifies. With a groan, he lets his head fall on the table. A moment later, a gentle hand cards through his hair. He lets his eyelids droop, enjoying Kun’s act of affection while it lasts.

“The potion should be done soon,” he reassures.

“Have you been having dreams again?” Yangyang asks, genuine concern in his voice. As much as he likes to act like a demon, Ten knows he cares. In a way, there really is no limit to his love, though he should work on finding better ways of conveying it.

Then again, Hendery and Xiaojun never appear to complain.

“Yeah,” Ten confirms, “but they’re not too bad this time.”

He’s long gotten used to the things that come with being a witch, or well, a clairvoyant one. It’s a gift he was born with, the same one as his mother, and her mother before that. Except his ancestors had dedicated their jobs and lives to this gift, while Ten chose to learn other fields as well. As a child, he’d been curious about everything, especially when it came to magic. So it shouldn’t really have come as a surprise that when he met Kun, the young prodigy with a gift for potions, he’d basically demanded him to teach Ten everything he knew. Ten never quite got on his level — that would be impossible for someone born without the affinity — but it’s a close thing.

It’s the reason why he’s often confused for a potion witch: he makes most of his money by selling draughts, after all. He does, however, give readings when requested, but that rarely happens. Yet it’s undeniable that there's a certain level of expertise whenever he does a reading, a passion that lacks when it comes to potions. Ten is always giddy when he gets the chance to show off his skills.

The dreams, on the other hand, he’d rather do without.

“Nothing big, then?” Kun asks, an edge of caution to his voice. Dreams usually mean trouble.

Ten squints his eyes open and sees that both of his friends are waiting for his answer. “No, I don’t think so. Not like last time at least.”

While Kun sighs in relief, Yangyang visibly deflates.

“That was so cool, though!”

Kun gives him a tick on the forehead. “People almost _died._ ”

“But they didn’t,” Yangyang counters with a smile. “Thanks to Ten!”

That’s not exactly what happened, but Ten won’t be the one to point that out. If anyone should be credited for saving those civilians, it’s Johnny. Ten’s dreams tend to be vague, but Johnny, with his connections and absurd amount of knowledge, always manages to disentangle them. 

“Yeah, well, there are no explosions involved this time,” Ten says.

“But the dreams are still bad enough to keep you awake?” Kun asks with a frown.

Ten lifts his head, then shakes it. “They’re not bad, just… odd. Haunting, in the sense that they won’t leave my mind.”

Kun seems to process this information, but doesn’t ask any further questions.

Predictably, it’s Yangyang who says, “Well? Aren’t you going to tell us what happens in them?”

“Why should I tell you?” Ten says with a playful glare.

Yangyang takes a step forward, lifting his hands and wiggling his fingers menacingly. “I could also just pry the information out of you?”

Ten is quick to recoil. The gods truly had no business giving a monster like Yangyang the power he has.

“It’s not much, really,” he starts off by saying. “Most nights I don’t even see anything. But there’s this voice, it’s singing, the same song every time. Sometimes I can see images, flowers blooming, snowflakes rising towards the sky. It all seems so disconnected.” He sighs when he finishes his explanation.

“How does the voice make you feel?” Kun asks, appearing deep in thought.

Ten blinks. “Good, I guess? It’s a nice voice, beautiful even. Warm. I can’t make out the lyrics, but the song feels intimate. Like something only I am supposed to hear.”

Kun and Yangyang both look as lost as he feels, and Ten lets his shoulders slump. He knew his friends wouldn’t understand the dreams more than he did, but he’d still allowed himself to build up hope.

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” is all Kun says, a comforting smile on his lips. “You always do.”

Ten can only hope that’s true.

♪♫♪

It’s on a cold evening two days later that Ten remembers the resolve he’d made a while back. 

_I’m going to prove that Lee Haechan isn’t a real witch._

That’s the only way he can ever convince Kun of Haechan’s evilness, he knows it. The thing is, it won’t even be that hard to prove. All he needs to do is get a look at his tactics, and Ten would be proven right in an instant. And if that’s not enough, he can always come up with some excuse to touch Haechan, to sense if he’s made up of anything besides flesh and blood. Working with magic for as long as he can remember has given Ten a good idea of how to sense it, so in tune with the powers flowing through his veins that he can feel it in others, as long as he’s close enough.

So, he makes a plan.

It’s simple, but Ten doubts it will take much to expose Haechan. As soon as there’s a lull in the passing of customers, Ten will lock the vault hidden under his stand and make his way over to Haechan. 

Turns out, that isn’t necessary.

By the end of the night, the streets are practically deserted. Ten is still busy packing up some things, the rarer potions he knows won’t be sold tonight, when he hears a whistle. He lifts his gaze to meet Haechan’s, whose chin is propped on the palm of his hand as he smiles. As soon as their eyes meet, the other winks. Ten grits his teeth.

“No customers?” Haechan asks in a sweet voice. “What a shame.”

Ten doesn’t point out the fact that Haechan’s stand is void of people as well. Not because he doesn’t want to pick a fight, but because Haechan is already talking before he gets the chance to.

“If you’re bored, I can give you a reading?” The words sound surprisingly earnest, and it takes Ten by surprise.

Only then does he realise how perfect this is. Now, he won’t have to go through the shame of asking for one himself.

“Sure,” he answers with a sly grin. He can tell Haechan hadn’t expected an affirmative answer, but the fraud seems pleased nonetheless.

Ten walks over, watching as Haechan hurriedly grasps his tarot cards from somewhere behind the counter. He starts shuffling them with clumsy hands, a frown forming on his face when a card slips to the ground. Slightly amused by the sight, Ten bends over to pick up the fallen card, handing it to Haechan who’s regarding him with wide eyes. Ten thinks he can also spot a faint blush on his cheeks, but in the dusk it’s hard to tell.

“Thanks,” Haechan mutters when he’s seemingly recovered from his surprise.

Ten doesn’t say anything as he waits for Haechan to finish up. He’s relieved that there’s no dramatic whispering or blowing on cards involved so far, though that can change at any time. Haechan’s hands move slower now that he knows Ten is watching, almost as if he doesn’t want to slip up in front of him.

_I’ll get you soon enough_ , Ten thinks. The voice in his head only slightly resembles that of a movie villain.

“Feel free to take a seat!” Haechan chirps with a bright smile, hands slowly coming to a stop. 

Ten eyes the wobbly chair Haechan points at with suspicion, before carefully sitting down on it. The chair creaks dangerously, but doesn’t give out. Yet.

As soon as Ten is seated, the excitement on Haechan’s face morphs into something more serious. His smile is still as present as ever, but instead of looking giddy, it gets a more charming edge. _This_ is the look that convinces random strangers walking by to stop at his stand. It’s also the look that gives Ten the urge to fight him. 

“Just for you,” Haechan says, eyes twinkling, “the first reading will be free.” He winks, making Ten’s nose scrunch up.

“It’s fine, I’ll pay,” he says. He doesn’t want to be in anyone’s debt, even if Haechan is a scammer.

But Haechan shakes his head resolutely. “These are my rules. Discounts for pretty boys and first readings free for friends. The only rules I live by.” He winks again as he says that last part, but Ten ignores it.

“Right, because we’re totally friends,” he says, voice dripping in sarcasm. 

Haechan doesn’t seem the least bit offended. Instead, his smile broadens.

“Yes, but not only that. You see, you, mister Ten, are in luck! Because you don’t just fall in one, but both categories!” His voice becomes higher towards the end of the sentence, though Ten can’t tell if it’s out of genuine enthusiasm or nervousness.

It takes a moment to process Haechan’s words, but as soon as Ten realises what he’s implying, he gapes. “I— What?”

Haechan rolls his eyes, tutting.

“Enough talking. Draw three cards, pretty boy.”

The thing with tarot reading, is that anyone can, in theory, learn it. You don’t need magic to understand the cards, there are more than enough guides that can easily be found. However, there’s still a distinct difference between a fortune teller who studied the meanings of the cards, and one who can tell them by sheer intuition.

“Are those… cat themed tarot cards?”

Haechan’s smile falters, only for a second, before he recovers. “You like cats, right?”

Ten eyes him with suspicion. “How do you know that?”

“I can _sense_ it, duh.”

Ten lifts his eyebrows, unimpressed. After half a minute of scrutinising him, Haechan breaks.

“Okay, okay. You’re no fun,” he pouts. “I saw you pet a stray some weeks ago, figured you must like them.”

“So you bought cat themed tarot cards?” Ten asks, confused.

Haechan’s eyes widen and he frantically shakes his head, letting out a strangled laugh. “ _What?_ No, I— I’ve had these cards for ages. Why would I buy them for you, haha, that would be so weird.”

“Right,” Ten says, not at all convinced. Haechan does have a point though, why on earth _would_ he buy tarot cards just for Ten? He shrugs it off, despite Haechan’s suspicious behaviour.

He lets his hand hover over the cards Haechan has spread out, pausing when he feels that familiar pull. Fake or not, Ten might as well take this reading seriously. Then at least one of them will. With that thought in mind, he points out the card before repeating the motion two more times.

Haechan nods, lips pursed, then carefully picks up the cards Ten chose. One by one, he turns them around. His brows furrow as he seemingly takes in the cards, and Ten can’t stop himself from leaning in to take a look as well. For a while he just stares, struggling to discern what the cat-themed cards mean, but then he catches onto the pattern.

Eight of Pentacles. Reversed Knight of Cups. The Sun.

By both leaning in, they’d gotten closer than Ten had anticipated. He startles when he looks up, surprised to see Haechan’s eyes already on him. For a moment they’re frozen, staring at one another. Ten feels the urge to speak, anything to break the silence that had suddenly befallen them, so he blurts out the first thing he can think of.

“Your makeup is smudged.” Just like that, the spell is broken and Ten finds himself able to lean back again.

“Huh?” Haechan blinks, tilting his head to the side.

It’s something Ten had wondered about before. Whereas Haechan’s eyeshadow was carefully applied, an orange hue with golden glitter, there are smudges of eyeliner around his eyes. One of the smudges even go as low as his cheek, and, if he looks closely, Ten can spot some more glitter too. It’s messy, but in an almost artful way.

Haechan lifts his hand, fingers grazing his cheek. “Oh. Yeah, that’s on purpose.”

“Why would you smudge it on purpose?” Ten asks with a frown.

Haechan looks at him like _he_ is the one being ridiculous. “For the witchy aesthetic? What else would I do it for, dummy.”

Despite the boldness of his words, Ten can see the tips of his ears turning red. He doesn’t point it out, too baffled by Haechan’s response.

“The witchy… aesthetic. Of course.” He’s just barely able to stop himself from slamming his head on the table. Repeatedly. “Let’s just get on with it.”

This thankfully draws Haechan’s attention back to the tarot cards.

“Right. I’m sure I don’t need to explain how this works?”

Ten hesitates to make Haechan explain anyway, but ultimately decides against it. He nods. After all, the reading appears to be a simple three cards linear spread.

Haechan mimics his nod, then points at the first card.

“This is the first card you drew, presenting your past.” He pushes the card forward, towards Ten, to give him a better view of it. Ten smiles despite himself, the drawing on the card amusing him endlessly. The almost guilty look in the ginger cat’s eyes as it paws at the eight fish placed in a bowl before him. On the curtains behind the cat is a pattern of stars, symbolising pentacles.

“Eight of Pentacles, though you probably caught on to that.” Ten only hums, allowing Haechan to continue. “When upright, as is the case here, Eight of Pentacles mainly signifies diligence. You’ve put a lot of effort into honing your craft in the past, so now you’re likely to have mastered it fully.”

A straight forward, but fairly accurate reading. Ten is relieved that Haechan has at least taken the effort to learn the cards.

But then a sneaky smile curls Haechan’s lips, and Ten knows that whatever he’ll say next will ruin it.

“You’ve worked hard, so now may be the time to _play hard._ ” Another wink. Ten is starting to believe this whole ordeal isn’t worth it. Nothing could ever warrant this torture.

Let it be known that Ten does have patience when needed. He doesn’t explode, like he wants to, instead smiles thinly and waits for Haechan to continue. Thank the stars above, he does.

Pulling the first card back into place, he pushes the middle one forward. “Next is the present, another Minor Arcana. Reversed, this time.”

It’s even harder to make out the image when upside down, but this one is easy enough to guess. If the cat burying its head in a fancy bucket isn’t clear enough, there’s a small text underneath.

“Cups typically indicate that you’re thinking with your heart instead of your mind.” 

Ten can already tell some kind of teasing will follow and braces himself for it.

“Reversed Knight of Cups tends to have a more negative connotation.” A pause. Then, “Jealousy, huh?”

Ten gives him a flat stare. Haechan only wiggles his eyebrows.

“Nothing to be jealous of,” Ten says, sounding strained even to himself. “Moody might be a more accurate interpretation.”

Haechan pouts, but doesn’t argue further. Having taken the hint, he continues in a more serious tone. “You may indeed be feeling moody, sulky or even frustrated. You’re being troubled by an overactive imagination and need to find a way to ground yourself back to reality. Be careful, because your emotions might get the better of you.”

The reading is objectively correct, so Ten holds back his scoff. He watches in silence as Haechan pushes the last card forward. A white cat lying on its back under the sun, surrounded by a field of sunflowers.

“The sun,” Haechan says. He sounds giddy, though it is more subdued than earlier. “Your only Major Arcana, representing the future.”

“You seem happy about it,” Ten can’t help but remark.

The smile on Haechan’s face grows more bashful. “It’s a good card, you deserve that.” Before Ten has the time to feel taken aback, Haechan adds, more confidently, “Besides, this means you’ll be seeing more of me in the future!”

Ten frowns as he tries to figure out how the hell those two things possibly correlate.

Eventually Haechan seems to have gotten enough of his confused silence and explains.

“I’m Haechan.” Ten doesn’t react. Haechan sighs. “Like, _Full Sun?_ You drew The Sun, and my name is Full Sun.”

Ten groans. “Please just continue the reading.”

“Your wish is my command,” Haechan says with a chuckle. “The Sun signifies success and abundance. Whatever it is that’s causing your frustration right now will most likely be resolved.”

_Not very likely,_ Ten internally snorts.

“Things will get better, and the struggles you’re experiencing now will only make you more confident and positive-minded in the future. You will know that, in the end, everything will work out.”

At the end of his explanation, Haechan falls silent, turning an expectant gaze to Ten. Almost as if awaiting approval.

It’s then that Ten remembers himself — and, more importantly, what he’s doing here.

“Well done,” he says in a not so convincing tone. “That was a… surprisingly accurate reading.” Nothing extravagant, but Ten guesses it got the job done. At least Haechan’s clients get _some_ value for their money.

Haechan positively beams at the praise, if you can call it that. “Thanks! Feel free to stop by again anytime!”

“That’s, uh, noted.” Ten feels unsure of what to do as he stands up. Does he just walk away? “Thank you for your time,” he says, sticking out his hand.

Haechan blinks at the extended hand before shaking it with a grin.

_No magic_ , a voice in the back of Ten’s head points out. Not that he really needed the confirmation anymore. It had been more than obvious from the reading that, while educated on the subject, Haechan has no natural inclination for tarot reading.

For some reason, it doesn’t fill him with the satisfaction he’d anticipated.

♪♫♪

“So, what are you going to do now?” Yangyang asks, chewing on a handful of chips.

Ten pauses, frowning at the thyme he was cutting into pieces. 

“What do you mean?” He starts moving his knife again, slower this time.

“Well,” Yangyang says, jumping from where he’d been sitting on the counter, “You have your ‘proof’. You know this Haechan guy is a fake. What are you gonna do about it? Confront him?”

The frown on Ten’s face deepens. “I… I didn’t think that far.”

Xiaojun scoffs, and Ten looks up to glare at him. All it does is make Xiaojun laugh, in a careful way as to not jostle Hendery’s head, which is resting on his shoulder.

“I mean, I’ll confront him,” Ten says, before backtracking. “Maybe.”

“Months of obsessing over this, and you don’t even have a plan? Amateur.”

Ten is suddenly reminded of why he hates having Yangyang around while he’s working.

“Look, I don’t want to be a complete asshole either,” Ten tries to defend himself. “I’ll just ask him to stop. Maybe. He doesn’t seem like an aggressive type.”

Yangyang hums as he’s pacing the room. “Are you sure, though? He’s taller than you, so you’d be at a disadvantage if you were to fight.”

“First of all, how can you possibly know that.”

“It’s not a hard conclusion to make.” Ten can hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

“Fuck you. Second of all, I know how to hold myself in a fight.”

Xiaojun perks up, accidentally making Hendery’s head fall in the progress. The latter groans, rubbing his eye as he wakes up. “Did you fight Kun? Please tell me you fought Kun.”

Ten sighs. “Remember when you were the nice one? Yangyang really corrupted you.”

Neither of the three react to that. Ten sighs again. “Of course I fought Kun. How could I know him for most of my life without having fought him once? That’s just unrealistic.”

“Bet Kun won,” Hendery loudly whispers to Xiaojun, who snickers.

“Don’t forget,” Ten says, raising his knife threateningly, “I’m working on a potion for _you_ right now. Don’t test me, I will poison you.”

“There’s no guarantee that you won’t poison me even if you aren’t trying to,” Hendery says with a grin. “No offence, but there’s a reason why I usually ask Kun for these.”

Ten is about to say — or well, snap — something in return, about Hendery being ungrateful or whatnot, but it’s useless. Seconds after Hendery says these words, his eyes glaze over as they fixate on something Ten can’t see. The colour drains from his face, but he doesn’t tremble. At least it’s not too bad, this time.

The sleeping draught isn’t too hard to make, but it’s delicate. One milligram too much or too little of a certain ingredient can mess up the consumer’s entire sleep schedule. Not that Hendery has much of one, if the bags under his eyes are anything to go by. Still, despite everything, Ten considers Hendery his friend, and he wouldn’t like to accidentally knock him out for two days.

“Anyway, I’m not planning on fighting him,” Ten says, going back to the point of this conversation. “I’ll be nice.”

Xiaojun and Yangyang snort in unison. Corruption at its finest.

“Sure. Either you’ll make him mad, or you’ll make him cry. Knowing you, there’s no in between.”

Ten worries his lip. He _really_ doesn’t want to make Haechan cry. Irritating as he is, that would feel like kicking a very persistent puppy.

“I’ll convince him that there are better ways to make money. Honestly, I don’t know what he was thinking when he started this. Unlike what the name implies, being a fortune teller _will not_ earn you a fortune. I would know.”

“Maybe he’s not after money,” Xiaojun suggests.

Ten shakes his head. “He’s a scammer, of coursehe’s after money.”

“I have a friend who was once in a similar situation,” Hendery suddenly says. He’s blinking rapidly, indicating that he’s trying to concentrate on his physical surroundings.

Ten squints his eyes. “Is this friend of yours alive?”

Hendery opens his mouth, then closes it. Just as Ten suspected.

“Hendery, how many times must I tell you? Taking advice from dead people is never a good idea.” Ten pinches the bridge of his nose, just to be dramatic. “There’s a reason they’re dead!”

“Seungmin’s death doesn’t have anything to do with this, you’re just being insensitive now,” Hendery says, crossing his arms. “Besides, he has a point! From what you told us, it sounds like this Haechan is doing this for attention. _Your_ attention.”

Xiaojun tilts his head, considering, then nods as if impressed. 

“You can’t be serious,” is all Ten says, but his mind is racing. Why would Haechan even want his attention? Sure, he doesn’t appear to bother anyone even half as often as he does Ten, and he does show up at all the places Ten goes to, but that has to be a coincidence.

Right?

“Oh my god,” Yangyang gasps. “That makes sense! I need to get my hands on this guy, like, right now.”

“You’re not touching him,” Ten says resolutely, but he can’t deny he’s curious of what Yangyang would find out. Being able to look into anyone’s past with just a simple touch definitely counts as an invasion of privacy though, so Ten won’t succumb to his curiosity.

“Feeling protective?” Yangyang asks, grinning again. Ten dimly wonders how they expect him to get any work done at this pace.

“More like I respect the concept of privacy, but sure. Besides, Haechan isn’t doing this for my attention, he’s doing it for money. We’ve been over this.”

“Seungmin doesn’t think so,” Hendery practically sings.

“You should stop trusting dead people.” Then, he adds, “And Seungmin should mind his own business. Don’t ghosts have their own problems?”

Hendery frowns. “You’re sounding very discriminating towards ghosts right now, Ten. I expected better from you. They have feelings too, you know.”

Ten doesn’t scream, but it’s a close call. Instead, he takes a deep breath, and smiles. Hendery seems disturbed by it, but Ten pays it no mind as he returns to his potion. 

_I’m a good friend_ , he repeats to himself like a mantra. The urge to knock Hendery out for a week is greater than ever, but he persists.

“If you want to stop those nightmares anytime soon, I advise you to stop talking,” Ten says with a tight-lipped smile. Hendery blanches.

“Yangyang,” Ten says next, still smiling, “can you please remind me where I stored the rosemary?”

Yangyang places a hand on his arm, eyelids dropping momentarily. “Cupboard to the right, second lowest drawer.”

At least befriending actual devil’s spawns has some perks, Ten muses.

♪♫♪

The next time Ten sees Haechan, they’re working at a carnival.

Despite how mundane they are compared to the Moon Market, Ten has always enjoyed them. There’s something amusing about humans mimicking the effects of magic, working with various forms of technology to achieve a similar effect. Ten can’t imagine the amount of effort that must’ve gone into hanging all those lights, when a simple spell could’ve created lamps far more beautiful in a matter of minutes.

The thing he likes the most about it though, are the children. Carnivals are full of them, bright-eyed kids munching on cotton candy as they run around. Over the years, Ten has also discovered that he’ll never find more enthusiastic customers than children at the carnival. The smallest hint of magic has them screaming with joy, hands clapping excitedly. 

On events like these, he puts most of his potions aside. Instead, he prepares himself for palm readings, and prepares some tea for the select few who prefer tasseography. 

He can already see children crowding around Haechan’s stand, fawning over pretty cards and his makeup. Ten can’t help but smile fondly at the sight. 

That is, until Haechan catches his eye and visibly preens, sticking out his tongue ever so slightly.

“Man, Donghyuck is still going at it?” 

Ten turns to see Renjun standing next to him, arms crossed as he watches Haechan. “I feel sorry for you, Ten, usually his attention span doesn’t last half this long.”

For an entire minute, Ten’s brain scrambles to decipher Renjun’s words, but comes up with nothing. Ten knows Renjun to be cryptic at times — aren’t all witches? — but usually he at least makes _some_ sense.

“Donghyuck?” Ten asks, deciding to tackle one question at a time.

Renjun tears his gaze away from Haechan, looking at Ten instead. Then, he tilts his head to the side, before his eyes widen in realisation. 

“Right, you wouldn’t know. Donghyuck is Haechan’s real name.” His eyebrows knit together in a small frown. “I thought he would’ve mentioned that by now.”

“We don’t really talk,” Ten says. It surprises him that Renjun knows this at all. Ten isn’t close to him, but they’ve been acquainted for years. Renjun seems far too respectable to know Hae— Donghyuck. “Are you guys friends or something?”

Renjun scrunches his nose. “Or something. He’s my boyfriend’s best friend, they’re like a package deal most of the time.”

Ten cringes, giving him a sympathising look. “That’s rough.”

“He’s not that bad,” Renjun says, laughing.

Ten can’t fight the rise of his eyebrows. Renjun shoves him gently, laughing again.

“Seriously, he’s fun once you get to know him.”

“He’s a scammer,” Ten grumbles, before realising that it probably isn’t the best idea to bad-mouth Donghyuck to his maybe-but-not-really friend.

Renjun doesn’t appear to take offence, though. “He’s not a witch, if that’s what you mean. I know it may not seem that way, but his heart is in the right place. He means well, really.”

Ten is wary of this, but doesn’t argue. Renjun clearly knows Donghyuck better than he does.

“What did you mean, earlier? When you said he’s still going at it.”

Something flashes across Renjun’s face, panic, maybe, before he masks it with a shrug. “The fortune teller thing. He’s always kind of jumped from one hobby to another, but I don’t think anything lasted this long. Besides singing, of course.”

It doesn’t look like he’s lying, but something tells Ten this isn’t what he was referring to earlier. He lets it go.

“Wait, he sings?”

Renjun snorts. “Damn, you really haven’t talked to him at all, have you?”

Ten would take offence at his tone, but, well, it’s true. The tarot reading the other day was the longest conversation they’d ever had, and Ten had been so focused on Donghyuck’s techniques that he hadn’t really paid attention to the other things he said.

“I don’t have a reason to,” Ten defends lamely. Renjun gives him an unimpressed stare.

“For what it’s worth, I think you two would get along.”

Ten stops himself from snorting. Barely.

“Yeah, well. Maybe I’ll chat with him sometime,” Ten says, not at all planning to do so.

The words seem to satisfy Renjun, at least, and they talk some more about how business has been going before Renjun is called back to his stand.

Ten feels distracted for the remaining of the evening, though by what he’s not sure. All he knows is that his eyes keep wandering to Haechan, no, Donghyuck. Talking to someone else who knows him almost made him more real, somehow. Something else than an obstacle made by the heavens to torment Ten. It’s unsettling in a way he can’t quite put his finger on. It certainly has nothing to do with the smile on Donghyuck’s face as he talks to a little girl, allowing her to play with his tarot cards, or the care with which he applies makeup on another kid’s face.

♪♫♪

“What,” Ten hisses through gritted teeth, “are you doing here?”

Yangyang’s far from innocent smile broadens. “Can I not visit my all-time favourite witch at work?”

Ten squints his eyes, doing a one over to check that Yangyang isn’t carrying a weapon or something equally as outrageous with him.

“Kun isn’t here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Gasping, Yangyang places a hand over his heart. “Ten, don’t you know you’re the only one for me!”

Ten rolls his eyes, turning back to his precious vials. He’d lost count — thanks a lot, Yangyang — so he’ll have to start from zero again. With a dreadful sigh, he restarts counting, taking them by pairs. Two, four, six, eight—

“What are you doing?”

_Great._

“I’m trying to count, in case you couldn’t tell,” he says, but Yangyang remains unperturbed.

“Yeah, but why?”

Ten sighs, pushing the box of vials aside. He isn’t getting any work done as long as Yangyang is here. “Big order coming up. Some lady who wants to give her enormous garden a boost, I believe. I don’t know how anyone can kill so many roses to warrant this amount of revivers, but at least it’s good money.”

Yangyang hums, clearly having lost interest after the first sentence.

“So, which stand belongs to Haechan?”

Of course. Ten should’ve known that was the reason for Yangyang’s impromptu visit.

“As if I’d tell you,” he scoffs.

Yangyang looks around, observing every stand in proximity closely before turning back to Ten with a grin. “You do realise there’s a sign, right?”

Ten curses that ugly, glittery mess of a sign, not for the first time since he first saw it, though the reason differs.

“Look, I’m handling this fine on my own, okay? There’s no need for you to go harass Donghyuck.”

“Donghyuck, huh?” Yangyang asks, wiggling his eyebrows. “What’s next, Donghyuckie? Or wait, no, _Hyuckie._ ”

For a glorious moment, Ten imagines strangling Yangyang right there and then. Oh how beautiful that would be. 

“It’s his name, you little shit.”

Yangyang doesn’t say anything, just wiggles his eyebrows again and then runs off before Ten can get his hands on him. There’s about a second of relief before Ten realises where Yangyang is headed to.

“Hi! Donghyuck, right?”

Ten curses under his breath, but before he gets the chance to stop Yangyang an elderly woman taps his shoulder. “I’d like to buy this, please.”

“Okay,” he mumbles, eyes glued to where Yangyang is now animatedly talking to Donghyuck. The latter seems taken aback at first, but then Yangyang says something and a grin appears on his face. In the end Ten has no choice than to tear his eyes away, offering a tense smile to the woman. “Let me check the price.”

The woman makes some attempts at small talk, but Ten isn’t able to focus on any of it, unintentionally shutting the conversation down fast. Every now and then he glances at Donghyuck, and he’s relieved to see that he’s smiling still. At least Yangyang isn’t tormenting him. Yet.

“Here you go,” he says, handing the woman a small bag with the things she bought. She thanks him with a kind smile, before walking off.

In an instant his eyes are back to the disaster waiting to happen, right on time to see Yangyang bend over with laughter, placing a hand on Donghyuck’s arm to steady himself. Or at least, that’s what he wants Donghyuck to think. Ten, unfortunately, knows better, and sees the way his eyelids flutter shut as soon as he touches Donghyuck’s bare wrist.

Ten buries his head in his hands. No use in interrupting them now. He’s too late.

There’s a bounce in Yangyang’s steps when he returns a couple of minutes later, and Ten makes no effort to hide his glare. “I told you not to do that.”

“He’s fun,” Yangyang says with a grin. 

“And you invaded his privacy.”

Yangyang waves his hand. “Don’t be that way. Besides, you might be interested in what I found out.” 

The smile on his face is sly and Ten hates that he can already feel his curiosity bubble up. 

“I don’t want to know,” he grits out. Unlike what some of his friends might say, he does have morals.

Yangyang leans in, glancing around to make sure no one else is listening in. It’s all for the dramatic effect, Ten knows, but he can’t help but lean closer as well. 

“Even if it involves you?” Yangyang whispers, raising his eyebrows.

Ten squints his eyes. “Involves me how?”

“Ha! I knew you were interested!”

“Nevermind, you can keep your secrets.” Ten takes a step back. Chances are big that whatever Yangyang found out isn’t important at all. It wouldn’t be the first time Yangyang played him like that.

“No, wait,” Yangyang grabs his arms, pulling him closer. “Really, you want to know this. It might just change how you feel about him.”

To Ten’s surprise, Yangyang appears sincere. 

Ten has morals, but he also has the constant need to know everything. A side-effect of his powers, he likes to claim.

With one last glance at Donghyuck, who’s talking to another boy with a smile that could outshine the sun, he gives in. “Fine, tell me.”

“You’re so easy,” Yangyang quips, before turning serious again. “Hennie’s ghost friend was right.”

Ten frowns. “So he’s doing it for attention, why would that change how I see him?”

“No, no, he’s not doing it for attention,” Yangyang says, eyes widening, “he’s doing it for _your_ attention.”

“What?” Automatically, Ten’s eyes find Donghyuck, who’s already looking at him. Donghyuck grins, giving him a small wave before turning back to his friend.

“You heard me.”

“No, I mean,” Ten shakes his head, “why would he want my attention?”

Yangyang gives him a deadpan look. “Dude.”

His confusion is starting to turn into frustration, and Ten rolls his eyes. “Just get on with it, Yang.”

“Dude, Donghyuck _likes_ you.”

What.

Ten’s mind screeches to a halt because, hey, wait, that doesn’t make any sense. 

“You’re insane.”

Now it’s Yangyang’s turn to roll his eyes. “Believe what you will, but it’s true. He has a fat gay crush on you, bro. It’s kind of cute, really. Did you know he saw you at the Moon Market two months ago? He thought you were so pretty that he decided to become a witch too. To impress you.”

“Shut up,” Ten says, but there’s no force in his words. He’s staring ahead of him, unsure what to think.

“Well, my job here is done. I’ll leave you alone with your thoughts, good luck!”

Ten doesn’t respond and just like that, Yangyang is gone, leaving chaos in his wake. As usual.

♪♫♪

Ten avoids thinking about it. It’s his familiar tactic of ‘as long as I do not acknowledge the problem, it does not exist’, except his mind clearly didn’t get the memo. It’s the lack of sleep, he’d reason, but he knows it’s a lie. While he’s still plagued by the same dream, it has turned from something that kept him awake to a lullaby, even making it easier to fall asleep. It’s not something that’s happened before, but Ten is not about to take the best sleep he’s had in forever for granted. 

So really, there’s nothing to blame but his big dumb brain. He tries to distract himself — an easy task, since he’s a busy man — but somehow his thoughts always end up wandering to a certain sun-kissed boy. 

It’s irritating, and distracting. More than that, it’s taking a toll on his work, so when one of his spells blows up in his face for the third time that week, he decides it’s time to talk to someone.

His first instinct is to go to Kun, but he would be annoyingly wise about it. Because as much as he hates to admit it, Kun, unlike Ten, _does_ have his shit together.

No, he needs someone on the same wavelength as him, if not slightly better at dealing with people.

So naturally, he calls Johnny.

“Tennie!” His cheerful voice greets Ten through the phone. “Do you have any news for me?”

Ten scoffs. “You only love me for my powers.”

There’s a loud gasp on the other side of the line. “Oh no, you finally realised.”

As dumb as Johnny’s antics are, it does manage to draw a laugh from Ten.

“Seriously though, what’s up?”

The smile slips from his face when Ten is reminded of why exactly he’s calling. “I need some advice.”

“This is about Haechan again, isn’t it?”

“Donghyuck,” Ten corrects before he can stop himself. Johnny makes a confused sound. “His real name is Donghyuck, I recently found out.”

“Donghyuck, then.” Ten can practically hear him shrug. “So, what did he do this time?”

“Nothing, or well, not really.” Ten sighs. “Yangyang did his thing and found out some stuff, and now I don’t know what to do.”

“What did he find out?” Johnny asks, sounding genuinely curious now.

Ten bites his lip. Saying it out loud makes it real, and part of him is still hoping this is all some weird fever dream. “According to Yangyang, he likes me,” he mumbles, squeezing his eyes shut as he awaits Johnny’s reaction.

There’s a long pause, eventually followed by a chuckle. “That’s it? Ten, even _I_ could have guessed that.”

“What—? No, you don’t get it, he has like, a crush on me!” Ten sputters, trying to make Johnny understand just how dire the situation is.

Predictably, Johnny’s laughter only grows louder. Maybe Kun would’ve been the better alternative after all. 

“This is serious, Johnny,” he whines, unable to fight the pout forming on his lips. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Ten,” Johnny says in between laughter. He takes a breath to calm down before continuing, “Haechan, or Donghyuck, has been following you around from market to market, doing anything in his power to catch your attention for over a month. How on earth are you surprised he likes you?”

“All he did was annoy me, I thought our dislike for each other was mutual,” Ten utters, but even as he says it he knows that isn’t the complete truth.

The truth is that he’s never even stopped to think about the chance that Donghyuck could feel anything like that about him. Maybe his own agitation had clouded his vision, making him miss the obvious, but it’s hard to believe anyone would go through so much effort just for _him._ Let alone someone like Donghyuck. (Ten may be petty, but he’s not blind. Before he started taking Donghyuck’s presence as a personal attack, his eyes had lingered on the sparkling eyes and the pretty lips curled into an even prettier smile. It’s hard not to notice the brightness of Donghyuck’s existence, as much as Ten hated to admit it.)

Johnny sighs over the phone. “Well, what do you want to do now that you know that isn’t the case?”

It’s a good question. One that Ten doesn’t know how to answer. “I don’t know,” he admits. 

Johnny hums, making Ten snort. “I know you have something to say, just spit it out.”

“Have you thought about maybe giving him a chance?”

Ten frowns. “Johnny, I’m not going to date him out of pity.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Johnny quickly says. “Besides, would it really be only out of pity?”

He doesn’t give Ten the chance to answer before continuing.

“In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you be this fixated on anyone. I’ve had my doubts about your so-called hate for a while.”

Ten isn’t sure what to say to that. “I don’t like him either, though,” he weakly defends. 

Johnny’s tone softens. “I’m not saying you do, Tennie. But you also know you haven’t exactly been fair to him. How much do you even know about him?”

Ten remains quiet.

“Get to know him. Worst case scenario is that you two clash, but then at least you can say you tried. I somehow doubt that’ll happen, though.”

“Okay,” Ten agrees softly. “But if it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming you.”

Johnny chuckles. “Deal. Can’t wait to rub it in your face once you two become friends.”

The ‘or more’ stays unspoken, but Ten knows it’s implied. He changes the subject before he can think too much of it, asking Johnny how work is going. As he listens to his friend rant, his lips curl into a slight smile that has nothing to do with what Johnny is saying.

♪♫♪

“Do you also give palm readings?” An airy voice asks in the distance. Ten subtly turns his gaze to where it came from, just in time to catch Donghyuck’s charming smile he saves for clients as he nods.

This evening has been busier than most, much to the relief of Ten’s long suffering wallet. Yet somehow the bumbling crowd hasn’t stopped him from sneaking glances at the other stand every few minutes. It’s a blessing that Donghyuck seems just as preoccupied, enough so to miss Ten’s blatant staring.

He watches as Donghyuck allows the woman to sit down before gently taking her hand between his. The sight makes Ten frown, but as soon as he realises what he’s doing he shakes his head, turning back to his customers.

After saying a cheerful goodbye to one of his regulars, Ten risks another look at Donghyuck and barely holds back a snort. He shouldn’t get surprised by the guy’s dramatics anymore, yet he can’t help but feel amused as he watches Donghyuck caress the woman’s hand with closed eyes. Ten still doesn’t understand how anyone could fall for this, but for once he lets go of his frustrations. After all, he has to admit — although begrudgingly — that he has yet to see a customer leave Donghyuck’s stand looking anything less than pleased.

Ten strains his ears to catch Donghyuck’s words once his eyes open and he starts talking.

“This here is your life line. As you can see, yours is long and unbroken.” Donghyuck then proceeds to give one of the most basic readings Ten has ever heard, with some added nonsense here and there. It’s easy to pick out which parts he’s read from the internet — probably some ‘easy guide to palm reading’ website — and which ones he’s invented himself. The woman, however, hangs onto his every word, nodding fervently whenever Donghyuck says something that hits the nail.

Ten pushes down the contempt that usually bubbles up when he witnesses Donghyuck’s clear inexperience, taking a deep breath. While it’s true that the woman could’ve easily saved her money by doing five minutes of online research, nothing Donghyuck says is inherently _wrong._ He thinks of what Kun had said, a few weeks back, about everyone being a beginner at some point. Sure, Donghyuck is no real witch, isn’t born with the natural instinct that is required to be one, but it can’t be denied that he put effort into this.

Biting his lip, Ten allows himself, for once, to consider that maybe he’d been wrong about Donghyuck.

An idea starts to form in his mind, and he stores it away for later, once the crowd is gone. For now, he puts on his best customer service smile and focuses on his job.

It’s late, later than usual when Ten finally closes his stand and packs up his stuff. His movements are sluggish, but he doesn’t want to go home yet. Not before he’s talked to Donghyuck.

So, once everything is safely stowed away and locked up, he wanders over to Donghyuck’s stand with newfound energy.

Donghyuck doesn’t notice him, too busy reaching for the banner hanging over his stand in an attempt to pull it down. He’s standing on his tiptoes, huffing in frustration when he doesn’t succeed. 

Ten smiles, amused, before wordlessly pulling out the chair from behind the stand. Donghyuck’s head snaps towards him in surprise and he blankly looks between Ten, the chair and the banner before his eyes widen in realisation.

“Oh!” He exclaims, and his voice is different, softer, than Ten is used to hearing. No doubt the tiredness biting off the overly cheerful edge Donghyuck’s voice is usually laced with. “Thank you.”

Donghyuck steps on the chair, not checking its stability beforehand, and promptly stumbles as the chair tilts. Before he can hurl towards the ground, Ten is there, placing his hands on Donghyuck’s (tiny, not that it matters) waist to steady him. 

“You okay?” Ten asks, letting out a breathless laugh at the weirdness of this situation. Donghyuck carefully turns around on the chair, mouth slack as he stares at Ten. 

Even in the dim illumination of the fairy lights, Ten can see the furious blush dusting Donghyuck’s cheek. He bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning wider.

_Cute_ , he thinks, and for once he allows the thought to settle.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, he lets go of Donghyuck’s waist. 

“You should be more careful,” he chastises gently. Donghyuck doesn’t respond, just keeps gaping, before he eventually closes his mouth with a gulp and nods.

“I don’t— Usually I’m not this clumsy,” he defends weakly, lowering his head further to look at his shoes.

Ten chuckles, but doesn’t argue. Instead he waits patiently as Donghyuck lowers the banner without any more near death experiences. When he finally gets down from his chair, banner in his arms, Ten can tell that he’s perplexed by his lingering presence.

“Do you need help with anything?” He asks, almost eager.

Ten is starting to see why his friends had called him an idiot for not realising Donghyuck’s feelings earlier. Now that he’s aware of them, it’s painstakingly obvious.

“More of the opposite,” Ten answers, smiling. 

Donghyuck blinks, confused by either Ten’s words or his kind tone. “Huh?”

“I listened to your palm reading earlier today,” Ten starts, before pausing. He’s not sure how to word this without sounding like a pompous asshole. “I thought, maybe, I could teach you some more about it? I couldn’t help but notice your knowledge is pretty basic.” He cringes at his own words and tries to offer a tentative smile.

After a moment, a pout formed on Donghyuck’s lips.

_Oh no_.

“Was it that bad?”

“No!” Ten hurriedly says, before noticing the glint in Donghyuck’s eyes. Not even a second later, the pout stretches into a grin.

“Gotcha.”

Sighing as he runs a hand through his hair, Ten wonders what exactly he signed himself up for.

“As I was _saying_ ,” he continues, pointedly ignoring Donghyuck’s soft giggles, “I have a gift for fortune telling, so I could help you. If you want me to, that is.”

Donghyuck’s expression quickly turns serious as he considers Ten’s offer. “You want to do that for me? _Willingly?”_

His words are clearly intended as a joke, but Ten can sense a tint of earnestness in it. Guilt wells up in him as he thinks of how he’s been treating Donghyuck in the past, but he shakes it off. He can apologise for that later. Feeling guilty will only make him say things he doesn’t mean, at least not yet, and Ten refuses to be anything less than honest with Donghyuck from now on.

“Like I said, only if you’re up for it,” he shrugs.

Donghyuck observes him for a second longer, as if trying to figure out if this is some kind of joke, before bursting into a smile. It’s unlike his usual customer smile — more off-guard, tired, but also far more genuine.

“I’d love that.”

That’s how they find themselves, long past midnight, sitting at Donghyuck’s half broken down stand. Donghyuck is fidgeting, unable to keep his hands still as Ten rummages through his bag in search of something. He almost points out Donghyuck’s obvious nerves, but finally decides against it. _Play nice_ , Kun’s voice rings inside his head, and for once Ten listens.

“Ah, here it is,” he mutters, pulling out the vial he’d stored away some hours ago.

“What’s that?” Donghyuck asks, lips slightly parted.

Ten gives him a reassuring smile. “Nothing you need to worry about. It’s not needed for palmistry, but it’s going to make my explanations a bit easier to understand.”

This piques Donghyuck’s interest, as his eyes almost sparkle with curiosity. It’s clear that he wants to push further, keep asking, but Ten quiets him in an instant by taking his right hand in his own.

The first thing he notices about Donghyuck’s hand is that it’s warm, almost a comforting touch in the cool night air. The next is that it’s soft, cared for in a way that Ten is ashamed to say he hasn’t bothered with for years now. He resists the urge to lift the hand to his face to maybe catch a hint of the scent of hand cream. 

“This might tingle a bit,” he warns in a hushed voice, before popping the vial open with his free hand and letting a few drops of the liquid fall on Donghyuck’s palm.

There’s a sharp intake of breath when the potion makes contact with Donghyuck’s skin, but he doesn’t move. When Ten is sure he won’t pull his hand away, he carefully runs his fingers through the drops, spreading them over Donghyuck’s hand in circular motions.

“What will it do?” 

Ten’s lips curl into a lopsided smile at Donghyuck’s inability to hide his curiosity. “You’ll see,” is all he says, earning himself an impatient whine. “Any preference in colour?”

Donghyuck tilts his head, visibly confused, and Ten almost coos at the sight of it. “Huh?”

“Your favourite colour?” Ten raises his eyebrows.

Eventually Donghyuck shakes off his bewilderment and answers, although hesitant. “Yellow?”

“Are you asking me?” Ten asks. Teasing Donghyuck is almost too easy, and he can’t help but enjoy the way the tables have turned. 

Donghyuck lowers his gaze, a blush creeping up his cheeks. “No, it’s yellow.”

With a hum, Ten caresses the palm of Donghyuck’s hand and whispers a spell under his breath. He then finishes the process by sliding his hand over Donghyuck’s, as if to wipe it off.

“There,” he mutters, then looks up to meet Donghyuck’s eye. “Now, why don’t you start by telling me what you know?”

As Ten had predicted, Donghyuck has only read on the basics of palmistry. He struggles to recognise some of the important lines, but eventually points them out with a toothy grin. It’s endearing, how excited he is about the whole thing, despite his limited knowledge.

“This is the head line, right?” He asks, running a finger over his own palm. As he does this, the skin he touched lights up in a vibrant yellow, glowing in the night. Donghyuck gasps at the sight, lifting his head to look at Ten with wide eyes.

Ten stifles a laugh at his amazement, instead nodding encouragingly. “Right. Some people call it the wisdom line.”

A small crease appears on Donghyuck’s forehead, and Ten’s eyes are drawn to his lips as he silently repeats the words to commit them to memory.

He patiently explains the meaning behind the head line and how to interpret it, Donghyuck hanging off his every word. Once he’s done, he lifts Donghyuck’s hand to his mouth and gently blows. Donghyuck watches with wonder in his eyes as the mark on his palm disappears, a thin layer of golden dust flying upwards, towards the stars.

Ten proceeds to point out each of the major and minor lines in similar fashion, Donghyuck only interrupting every now and then to ask a question. Other than that he stays surprisingly quiet, and Ten feels warm under his attentive gaze. With the way Donghyuck is watching him, you’d almost think the very words Ten is speaking are magic.

When he blows away the remnants of the Apollo line, he slowly lowers Donghyuck’s hand until his own beneath it is resting on the table. Then, before he can think about what he’s doing, he covers the open palm with his other hand.

_Hand holding is_ not _a necessary step in palmistry_ , the rational part of his brain points out.

_It is when the hand in question belongs to a pretty boy_ , retorts the gay part.

It’s in moments like these that Ten understands the exasperated sigh Kun lets out anytime he does something questionable.

“Um,” Donghyuck says, pulling Ten out of his thoughts. It’s then that he realises that he’s just been holding Donghyuck’s hand without saying anything, though the scarlet tint of his face tells Ten that the other doesn’t really mind.

He pushes back the urge to pull his hand away in his panic, instead deciding to just go with it.

“Right, so that’s it what concerns the lines,” he says, words tumbling out slightly too fast. Even before he can hope Donghyuck doesn’t notice, he can spot the corner of his lips twitch up. _Just go with it._ “The lines just scratch the surface, though. There really is so much more you can discern from hands.”

“Oh?” 

Ten nods, fully immersed in the subject again. “There’s the hand shape, the mounts, even the finger shapes can tell you something about the individual. And of course with each of these, including the lines, you need to take the various markings you can encounter in consideration. All of it tells a story, just waiting to be read.”

He glances at Donghyuck to make sure he isn’t boring him yet and instead catches the almost painfully fond smile gracing his lips. 

It’s a miracle Ten doesn’t stutter when he continues, “This here is the mount of Venus.”

He keeps talking, Donghyuck not speaking once, until a small yawn makes him look up from their hands. He’s suddenly aware of how late it must be — the market has long been deserted, and Ten is the only thing stopping Donghyuck from going home and getting some sleep. 

The other misinterprets Ten’s pause, an apologetic expression falling over his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“No, it’s— that’s not why I stopped,” Ten quickly reassures. “I just realised the time, I didn’t mean to keep you so long…”

Just like that, the soft smile reappears on Donghyuck’s face. Ten thinks he prefers this one over his usual charming grin. It’s the sleepiness, he knows, making Donghyuck’s expression less guarded, more gentle around the edges. He almost feels grateful that he’s able to witness this, almost like he’s been chosen to hear a secret only a select few know of.

“It’s okay, I would’ve told you if I wasn’t interested,” Donghyuck says, amused.

“Still, we can continue another day.” Ten sees the pout even before it fully starts to form, and hurriedly adds, “or not.”

“I’m not that tired, promise. Tell me about the mounts?”

Ten watches him for a few more seconds, scanning his face for any signs that he’s just trying to be nice. All he finds is pretty constellations made of moles, and eyes alight with genuine interest.

“Fine,” he says, as if he ever stood a chance.

He delves back into it, and this time Donghyuck animatedly asks questions, as if to prove that he’s paying attention. It’s nice. Fun, even. Ten finds himself laughing more than once, and is surprised to notice that his and Donghyuck’s humour match more than he’d initially thought. Donghyuck is undeniably funny, clever in a way that catches Ten by surprise and would’ve left him fuming weeks ago, but now he allows himself to enjoy it.

But more than anything, Donghyuck is _passionate._

Ten almost can’t believe how wrong he’d been all this time (yes, Kun, it _did_ physically hurt to admit that, even just to himself). Sure, there isn’t a drop of magic in Donghyuck’s blood, but the way his eyes shine with love when he talks about magic can’t be faked. He’s so eager to learn whatever Ten will give him, even going as far as to ask about books he could read on the topic of palmistry, and it’s an eagerness Ten recognises. One he knows intimately. He smiles as he thinks of the countless times _he_ had been in Donghyuck’s position and finally decides that, maybe, the two of them aren’t so different after all.

And maybe that isn’t a bad thing.

♪♫♪

“You’re cheating again.”

“Am not!”

Kun gives Hendery a calculating look, refusing to break eye contact or even blink. Then, the second Hendery’s gaze shifts to something over Kun’s shoulder, the older yells out, “I knew it!”

Ten rolls his eyes and lets his head fall on the table. Card games are always chaotic in their friend group, and today isn’t any different.

“And they say _I’m_ the one acting like a child,” Yangyang complains under his breath.

Without looking up at him, Ten huffs, “Because you are. You’re sulking because you were one of the first to lose, even while cheating.”

He can almost feel Yangyang shrink into his seat next to him. “You noticed?”

“That you only ever get clingy when we’re playing this game?” 

“That’s not true…”

“Or when we’re keeping something from you.”

Yangyang doesn’t try to defend himself any further. It’s not like he could even try to deny his blatant abuse of his powers.

The room has quieted down, so Ten can guess that Hendery ended up confessing to cheating. That means that the game is just between Kun and Yukhei now, and it’s easy to guess who will win. Kun, steadfast and competitive as he can be, has never learned how to resist his boyfriend’s puppy eyes. And Yukhei, for all his kindness, can be surprisingly sneaky when needed.

“I’m getting snacks.” Ten pushes himself up, making his way to the kitchen.

“Say hi to Junnie for me!” Hendery calls out. Ten pointedly ignores him.

By the way Xiaojun is fondly rolling his eyes from where he’s sitting on the counter, Ten can guess he heard it anyway. Being the first one to lose, it’d been his turn to cook tonight. Ten is surprised to see the kitchen still intact, with a minimal amount of dishes.

“No need to look so impressed,” Xiaojun says with a smile.

“It doesn’t even smell that bad,” is Ten’s teasing response. He quickly ducks to avoid the dirty bowl thrown at him. 

“It should be ready in ten.” Xiaojun glances at the oven, nodding to himself. “You think they’ll be done by then?”

Ten snorts. “I doubt Kun will be able to go another two minutes without succumbing to Xuxi’s charms.”

This makes Xiaojun snicker. Ten opens a cabinet, reaching for a bag of crisps while avoiding Xiaojun’s judgemental look. “You really can’t wait any longer?”

“The stomach wants what it wants,” Ten shrugs, getting onto the counter next to him.

Eventually Xiaojun reaches for a crisp as well, grumbling when Ten gives him a cheeky grin. They sit like that for a while, the only sound filling the kitchen the crunching of crisps and playful arguing coming from the living room. No doubt Hendery protesting the unfairness of him getting kicked out of the game for cheating, only for Kun to basically grant victory to Yukhei on a silver plate. Ten knows how these things go, by now.

He suddenly wonders if Donghyuck would let Ten win, too. The thought alone makes Ten scoff. If anything, Donghyuck would probably work harder to win, just to get under Ten’s skin.

“What’s so funny?” 

Ten shakes his head with a lingering smile. “Nothing, I was just thinking.”

Xiaojun gives him a curious look, but doesn’t press any further. Instead he gets distracted by Yangyang yelling something about favoritism, and lets out an exasperated sigh. It doesn’t do anything to hide the happy twinkle in his eyes, though.

“How do you do it?” The words leave his mouth before Ten’s mind can catch up. 

Xiaojun makes a confused sound, tilting his head in question. Clearing his throat, Ten clarifies, “How do you deal with having boyfriends like that? Especially since you’re not a witch yourself. I mean, just one of them already seems a lot to me, but you’re dating two of those demons.”

It sounds meaner than intended, but Ten trusts Xiaojun to understand he doesn’t mean it in a bad way. Sure enough, Xiaojun’s shoulders shake with laughter at his question. Once recovered, he turns to look at Ten with a smile.

“Why, are you looking into getting your own demonic boyfriend?”

Ten sputters, hurrying to deny the ridiculous claim, while simultaneously shoving the thought of a certain wannabe witch out of his head. “No, just— humour me?”

And Xiaojun actually does think about his question, but not before giving him another teasing grin.

“Well, I mean.” He seems to hesitate, and Ten can see his ears reddening. “I love them, you know? When I’m with them, it doesn’t feel like I am ‘dealing with them’, as you so gently put it.”

Ten cringes at how he’d worded it, but keeps quiet.

Xiaojun is looking at the ground, the blush having spread to his face by now. “They may seem like a lot, but to me they’re just enough. It wouldn’t be the same without one of them, I know that for sure, and I also know they feel the same way. There’s so much more to them than I could ever tell you.”

“Try,” Ten gently encourages, partly to see Xiaojun squirm further, partly out of genuine interest.

Sure enough, Xiaojun’s face contorts into a pained expression, but he continues.

“Like, Yangyang for example. Even without using his gift, he can always kind of… tell when someone is upset, especially if it’s me or Hennie. No matter how much I try to hide it, he just _knows._ ” He chuckles, so fond Ten has to look away. “And he knows how to deal with it too, in his own small ways. He knows I don’t like showing people that I’m upset, so if he sees I’m feeling under the weather when there are others around, he’ll get just a bit louder than usual. You wouldn’t notice, but I can see the way he tries to divert the attention to himself, making sure I’m comfortable. It’s a silly thing, but…”

Ten smiles. “I think it’s lovely.”

Xiaojun’s head turns to him, surprised, almost as if he’d forgotten Ten is here too. Giving him a teasing shove, Ten urges, “What about Hendery, hm?”

Just like that Xiaojun’s under that spell again. If Ten didn’t know any better, he’d almost think he’s under the influence of a love potion.

“He always knows how to make me laugh, even on days I think it’s impossible. And I guess, whereas Yangyang is loud to help me, he becomes quiet. Just this vast, comforting presence besides me. It’s not as much about the things he says or does as it is about the fact that he’s just always there, no matter what.”

Unable to hold it in for much longer, Ten coos and reaches out to pinch Xiaojun’s scarlet cheeks. 

“Stop it,” Xiaojun complains, pushing Ten away.

“You’re so cute! I never knew you were such a romantic, Junnie.”

Xiaojun frowns as he tries to fix his hair, which Ten has artfully ruffled. “Don’t call me that.”

“Oh, right.” Ten winks. “Only _they_ are allowed to call you that, huh?”

“I’m never telling you anything again,” he mutters.

“No, please, do tell me more about how whipped you are. I enjoy it tremendously.”

“I’m done talking. I just wanted to make it clear that they’re more than just loud, or chaotic.”

“Demonic, you mean.”

“Right, that. Besides,” Xiaojun continues, elbowing him gently, “it’s not like either of us is any better, really.”

“I take offence to that.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

Ten huffs just as the oven’s alarm goes off. Without waiting for Xiaojun to see, Ten slips out of the kitchen. No way he’s risking Xiaojun asking him questions in return. Not before he figures out some answers for himself first.

♪♫♪

Ten isn’t sure how he ended up here, at Jaehyun’s cafe, sitting face to face with a wide-eyed Lee Donghyuck.

Or well, that’s a lie — he does know. He just isn’t sure whether he should regret his spur-of-the-moment decision yet. 

At the time it’d seemed perfect. The market they’d been attending had closed early due to the heavy rain. Ten was hungry and cold, and just so happened to have noticed that Donghyuck hadn’t eaten anything yet either, so really it was just a matter of convenience. It’s not like he asked him out for a date, though Donghyuck’s reaction to his simple request to fetch some food somewhere would make you think otherwise.

“You— what?” He’d stuttered, the confidence with which he’d greeted Ten right before shattering in an instant.

“I know a nice place where we could eat something small, not that far from here,” Ten had shrugged. “I think you’d like it, but if you’re too tired—”

“I’m not! I’ll be ready in a bit, let me just grab my stuff.”

Ten hadn’t even gotten the chance to blink before Donghyuck was gone, disappearing behind his stand. Less than five minutes later, they were on their way, Donghyuck chattering away about his day as Ten nodded along with a smile.

Now here they are. Ten is willing to bet that Donghyuck hasn’t blinked a single time since they’d entered the cafe, but he can’t blame him for it. If anything, Ten had been exactly the same the first time Jaehyun showed him around the place, and he was far more used to magic than Donghyuck would ever be.

Jaehyun’s cafe — fittingly named Enchanted — is almost dream-like. It’s not just the way it looks, though the enchanted ceiling and walls, stuck in a permanent sunset, certainly do help. No, it’s in all the details: the magic literally _floating_ through the air, giving the room a warm glow, like someone put a filter over it; the teacups filling themselves at the counter before carefully floating to the assigned table; the cupcakes, so lovingly baked by Taeyong, the cook, and their frosting brought to life with a dash of magic.

Most of all, it’s in the music.

For as long as Ten has known him, Jaehyun has always been passionate about music. It didn’t surprise anyone when he prepared a special corner in the cafe for musicians to keep the atmosphere alive. Not just any musicians, _witch_ musicians. Much like the ones Ten loves to admire at the Moon Market.

Donghyuck is completely entranced by the current occupant of the music corner. It’s a young man, seated on a chair as he plays the guitar. The soothing cords are accompanied by his soft, airy voice, and Ten knows that even without the added spells, the performance would be mesmerising.

Still, it’s undeniable that the clouds floating around the man’s head are a beautiful addition. Their pink hues make them resemble cotton candy, matching the sunset vibe of the entire cafe. The clouds increase with every chord, slowly rising and spreading around the room, though the focus remains around and behind the singer. Only then does Ten notice something, a silver globe peeking from behind one of the clouds, a perfect miniature version of the moon. From this angle, it casts a halo over the man’s head, adding to his angelic appearance and voice.

“It’s beautiful,” Donghyuck breathes, and Ten can only agree.

Suddenly remembering what Renjun had told him, Ten turns to Donghyuck. “You sing too, right?”

This question seems to startle Donghyuck out of his daze, eyes flitting to Ten’s filled with surprise. “How...?”

“Renjun mentioned it a while back.”

Donghyuck frowns, looking alarmed. “You know Renjun?” Then, paling, he adds, “You _talk about me_ with Renjun?”

Ten laughs at his fearful expression. “It was just a one time thing, don’t worry. Renjun is a witch, our kind tends to stay in contact with one another.”

The fear eases from Donghyuck’s face, though he still looks slightly paler than usual.

“To answer your question, yeah I sing,” he says, almost bashfully. His gaze flickers to the singer, before turning back to the table. “Not like that, though. I mean, I never did a performance or anything.”

“Because you don’t want to?” Ten asks gently.

“Because I never got the chance to.” Donghyuck gives him a wry smile, finally meeting his eye again. “It’s not like I’m professionally trained or anything, so I doubt anyone would want me.”

Before he can stop himself, Ten shakes his head. “I’d love to hear you sometime, if you’ll let me.” 

Donghyuck tilts his head to the side, as if not understanding his words.

“To like, see if you’re any good,” Ten rushes to explain. “Jaehyun here is always looking for more people to perform.”

At this Donghyuck’s eyes widen. “Perform _here?”_

The excitement on his face is almost childlike, and Ten smiles. “Yeah, if you’d like to.”

“I would love to,” Donghyuck says, still staring at him in shock. However, a moment later, he deflates. “I couldn’t, though.”

“Why not?”

“I’m, well, _you know_.” His lower lip juts out in a pout, and Ten resists the urge to poke it until it turns into a smile. 

“I quite frankly do not know, otherwise I wouldn’t bother to ask.”

“I’m not a witch,” Donghyuck mutters. “I can’t do spells, there’s only so much YouTube videos can teach me.”

Ten snorts at this, thinking of the satisfaction he would’ve felt at being right just a few weeks ago. Now, as it is, he reaches over to take Donghyuck’s hand over the table. 

Startled, Donghyuck looks up at him, mouth agape.

“You don’t need magic for this, Donghyuck. All you need is your voice and a witch willing to help.” He grins at him, revelling in the way the apples of Donghyuck’s cheeks turn a pretty pink. “Lucky for you, you have both of those at your disposal.”

Somehow, Donghyuck’s jaw drops even further. “You want to help me?”

Ten shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant. 

“Why?”

_A fair question_ , Ten’s mind supplies, before he’s hit with the answer.

“Because I was wrong about you,” Ten says, plainly, as if the amount of times he’s admitted to being wrong in his life couldn’t be counted on one hand. “When I first met you, I thought you were making a mockery of magic. I believed that you used it for your own profits, but had no further respect for it.”

Donghyuck frowns, opening his mouth to argue, but Ten continues before he can.

“Now I see that isn’t true. Or maybe I’ve seen it for a while, but just didn’t want to admit it. There’s no faking the look in your eyes when you look at magic.”

“I’m glad you know better now,” Donghyuck huffs, clearly affronted at past Ten’s reasoning. It makes Ten chuckle, and just like that they fall into an easy conversation again.

Donghyuck tells him about his love for magic, the admiration he’s always felt for witches, ever since he was a little kid. He talks about how he’d drag his parents to fortune tellers, how he begged them to get him tickets to see famous witch musicians perform. Then, finally, he tells Ten about his excitement when Mark had gotten himself a witch for a boyfriend, and how he’d basically bombarded Renjun with questions the first time they met. Ten smiles all the way through his babbling, to the point where his cheeks ache and even then he can’t stop. Not once does he interrupt Donghyuck, waiting patiently for him to fall silent before speaking up again.

“Does it bother you? Not being born with magic yourself?”

Donghyuck seems to ponder over this for a moment before shaking his head resolutely. “No. It used to, I think. When I was younger and felt like magic was the only way someone could be special. But I like myself as I am.”

Ten feels a weight he hadn’t been aware of fall off his shoulders. “I’m glad.”

“Besides,” Donghyuck continues, “just because I don’t have magic, doesn’t mean I can’t have it in my life. In fact, I’d love to be surrounded by it as much as possible.” He’s not subtle in the way he looks at Ten while saying those words, but Ten won’t be the one to point it out.

Before he can think of a response, they’re interrupted by a flying menu card smacking Ten in the face.

“Jung Jaehyun, I will _obliterate_ you!” He yells when he hears his friend cackling from behind the counter.

“That’s what you get for taking so long to order. I’m sure you didn’t come all the way here just to let your date starve.”

Jaehyun ducks back into the kitchen before Ten’s wrath can befall him, but he silently promises himself that next time the man leaves the safety of his kitchen, he’s dead. The only thing that stops him from going after him is Donghyuck’s breathless laughter, somehow bringing him back to his date.

Wait, no. Not his date.

_Damn you, Jung Jaehyun._

“I see you enjoy my suffering,” Ten sighs, though his so-called annoyance is contradicted by the smile pulling at his lips.

“It’s funny when you get angry,” Donghyuck says when he recovers, though the force of his grin remains. “You look like a disgruntled kitten.”

Ten decides not to dignify that with a response, instead sliding the menu over to Donghyuck. “Choose something to eat, before Jaehyun starts throwing plates at me next.”

The rest of the evening goes just as smoothly, and Ten doesn’t even think to be surprised, too busy giggling along to whatever Donghyuck is saying. Far too soon their plates and cups are emptied and their bill paid. Ten sneaks into the kitchen to hug Taeyong goodbye and shove his middle finger in Jaehyun’s face before rejoining Donghyuck at the entrance. Looping an arm through Donghyuck’s, he drags them outside and down the street before realising he doesn’t know where Donghyuck is headed. After asking, he finds out that they still have a few streets to go before they need to part ways, and for some reason the thought makes his insides feel warm.

“Did you mean what you said?” Donghyuck asks after a bout of silence had fallen over their conversation.

Ten hums in question, squeezing his arm softly to show that he’s listening.

“When you said you’d help me, with the singing. You haven’t even heard my voice yet.”

It’s true. Usually, Ten wouldn’t be one to make promises before knowing what he’s getting himself into. But when he recalls how easy it is to listen to Donghyuck ramble, his melodic voice wrapped around him like a hug, he thinks it’s impossible for his singing to be anything other than good.

“I meant it,” he says, as genuinely as he can. “And I’m sure we can change that soon.”

Donghyuck nods, lips pressed together to hold back a smile. 

The rest of their walk is spent in a comfortable silence, and when it’s time to part ways, they both appear reluctant. For a moment, Ten is unsure how to proceed — is he supposed to just say bye? Shake Donghyuck’s hand? Or should he hug him?

“You know that you’re the reason I started doing this, right?”

Ten blinks when he’s suddenly pulled out of his mini-crisis. His brain takes a moment to catch the meaning of Donghyuck’s words, but when it finally does he feels surprised. Yes, Yangyang’s unwanted input had confirmed this suspicion, but he’d never thought he would hear Donghyuck admit it out loud.

Belatedly, he nods.

Donghyuck mimics the movement, taking a deep breath as if mustering up the courage for whatever he wants to say next.

“When I saw you for the first time, it was at the Moon Market,” he says, sounding braver than he looks right now. “As soon as I spotted you, it was impossible to look away. You—” 

He pauses, seeming to think about his words. Ten waits patiently.

“You know how I said that I wanted to be surrounded by magic as much as possible?”

Ten nods again, curious to see what this is leading to.

“Ten, to me, you’re like… magic poured into a human shape. I swore, when I saw you standing under the fairy lights that night, that I’d never felt as close to magic as in that moment. All I could think was, ‘oh, so this is what it feels like to be a witch’. It’s ridiculous, but I promise you it’s true.”

It isn’t a confession, but it’s close enough to make Ten’s heart feel like it might give in at any moment. He’s received plenty of compliments before, of course he has, but all of that praise pales in comparison to Donghyuck’s words. He wants to reply, to express how much this means to him, whose world has always revolved around magic, but no words seem good enough.

Either unnerved or encouraged by his silence, Donghyuck simply keeps talking.

“I’m not just talking about the way you look, by the way. It’s more than that, _magic_ is more than that. You did a palm reading that night, you know? That’s what made me look into it. Because I was like, hey, that’s something I could maybe manage too! And even though it’s stupid, I was hoping it would impress you, even just a little. Clearly, it didn’t, since you had to teach me everything all over again but—”

Ten cuts him off by planting a kiss right on Donghyuck’s cheek. It’s short, though Ten can’t help but let his lips linger on the warm skin before pulling back. Donghyuck stares at him, looking somewhere between delighted, astonished and close to a heart attack. Before he loses his courage, Ten gives him a sincere smile and speaks up. 

“Get home safe, Donghyuckie. I’ll see you Thursday.”

Then he turns away, leaving a blushing Donghyuck behind him.

♪♫♪

When Ten finally hears Donghyuck’s voice, it’s a complete coincidence.

It’d been another fruitless day, the weather too cold for anyone to bother going outside. Yet here Ten sits, freezing and shivering and hoping for at least one potential customer to walk by. His wish isn’t granted, and after letting out another huff of annoyance, he stands up and walks over to Donghyuck’s stand.

During the week that passed since their visit to Enchanted, this has become a regular occurence. One of them gets bored, or Donghyuck needs help with something, and they end up spending the entire evening babbling away. At least until they’re forced back to work or the market eventually shuts down.

Ten would say he’s indifferent about this recent development, but that would be a complete lie. Truth is, time flies by when it’s spent listening to Donghyuck talk. Though he tries to hide it by rolling his eyes at every silly remark Donghyuck makes, Ten enjoys his presence. It’s bright and fun, a nice comfort to weather the ice cold winter air.

Donghyuck isn’t behind his stand, which in itself is strange. Ten tries not to let it deter him, instead walking past it to head over the car he knows is Donghyuck’s friend’s. He once again wonders what this Mark guy is thinking, allowing Donghyuck to use his car twice a week like that with no recompensation. Ten is pretty sure Kun would die before letting Ten’s ‘inadequate hands’ touch his truck. Which isn’t even really _his_ , but Yukhei’s.

He perks up when he spots a figure huddled inside the car and quickly approaches. The window of the car is opened ever so slightly, which seems like a waste considering he can _hear_ the heater inside whirring all the way from where he’s standing.

That’s when he notices that’s not the only thing he can hear.

The radio is on, playing some tune Ten doesn’t recognise, but Donghyuck evidently does. The song is playing low, just barely audible over the heater’s noisiness, but the voice singing along with the lyrics is unmistakable.

In that moment, time freezes. It’s like the world stops spinning and Ten ceases to exist, everything ceases to exist except for Donghyuck’s voice. His head is buzzing, soothed and alarmed by the familiar calmth he’s come to associate with hearing this voice. The voice that has, unknowingly, been the cause of better sleep than he’s had in years, ever since his gift had started developing. The mesmerising voice belonging to Donghyuck, apparently.

Though he has stopped in his tracks, deep down Ten can’t say he’s surprised. Maybe he’s known, somewhere, that what he feels when he’s around Donghyuck is the same exhilarating feeling he experienced in his recent dreams, and his subconscious had come to accept it. Maybe a part of him has always known that meeting Donghyuck, Haechan, whatever he decides to call himself had been fated, written in the stars. 

With a sudden rush of excitement, he promptly opens the door on the passenger’s side before getting in. Hot air washes over him like a wave and Ten sinks into the chair, closing his eyes and breathing it in for a moment.

“Ten?” 

The look of bewilderment is impossible to miss on Donghyuck’s face, and Ten almost laughs when he scrambles to sit straight. 

“Sorry for barging in,” Ten says, breathless and aware that he doesn’t sound sorry at all. 

Donghyuck’s cheeks are burning red — a sight that is familiar by now, but still makes Ten’s heart flip. “Did you, uhm…”

“Hear you? Yeah.”

Donghyuck deflates, slipping down his seat a bit as he slumps. Ten’s excitement has pushed any sense of patience away though, so he doesn’t let Donghyuck wallow in embarrassment for long. 

“When do you want to start practicing?”

At his words, Donghyuck jumps, looking at him like he just said pigs could fly. (Which, technically, with a bit of help from Jaehyun, they could. But that’s not the point.)

Undeterred by Donghyuck’s reaction, Ten continues. 

“The next Moon Market is in two weeks, which is fairly soon but would make for a spectacular stage. Of course, if you prefer a smaller crowd for your first performance, I can always get you a place in Enchanted, but—”

“You’re serious?” Donghyuck interrupts, sounding faint. 

A frown tugs at Ten’s lips. “Of course I am, haven’t we been over this already?”

Donghyuck lowers his gaze, looking impossibly small. With a sigh, Ten shuffles closer and lifts Donghyuck’s chin with the tips of his fingers. 

“Hyuckie, I told you I would help, didn’t I? Do you think I’m the kind of person who makes promises without intending to keep them?”

Hurriedly, Donghyuck shakes his head. 

“Exactly. Especially now that I heard you sing, there’s no way we’re not doing this. That voice of yours is too beautiful not to show off.”

By the time Ten finishes, Donghyuck looks about ready to explode. Yet, somehow, he seems to pull himself together enough to give Ten a teasing smile, as if he isn’t still blushing. 

“‘Hyuckie’, huh?”

Ten curses Yangyang for planting that idea in his head. Shrugging, he averts his gaze, hoping it doesn’t seem like a big deal. 

Judging by the way Donghyuck’s grin widens, he fails miserably. 

He hears Donghyuck inhale, most likely readying himself to continue pestering Ten. Before he gets the chance to do just that, Ten reaches over to turn up the music, belting along to the lyrics in what must be the least subtle attempt of changing the topic ever made. 

Donghyuck outright _cackles_ , and Ten smiles as he keeps singing — too loudly, in the wrong key. Even before he’s recovered from his laughter, Donghyuck is joining him in their atrocious karaoke where neither of them even try to hit the right notes.

Ten can’t remember ever feeling so light, filled to the brim with happiness. 

♪♫♪

“You’ve been awfully giddy lately,” Kun remarks.

Ten hums noncommittally, turning another page in his book. It’s a spell book, once belonging to a distant relative of his. Ten remembers reading something about enchanting instruments in it years ago, but has yet to find the right page.

“Xiaojun said you were being suspicious the other day.”

“Xiaojun needs to learn to hold his mouth,” Ten mutters with a frown.

With a gentle hand, Kun pulls the book away and closes it despite Ten’s protests. “You know you can ask me for help, so why are you wasting your time going through this?”

“I’m just looking!” Ten says, though really he knows better than to lie to Kun.

Sure enough, Kun only gives him a flat stare. Ten’s pout deepens.

“If you’re not telling me, that either means that it’s something I wouldn’t approve, or,” he leans in, a smile pulling at his lip, “that you’re embarrassed.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Ah, so it’s about Donghyuck.”

Sometimes, Ten wonders whether his entire life is a lie, and Kun has actually been a mind reader all along.

“Not a mind reader, I’ve just had the displeasure of knowing you for far too long.”

Ten crosses his arms with a huff. “You don’t mean that.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Kun answers, chuckling.

It still catches Ten off guard, sometimes, just how affectionate Kun can be. Towards him at least — the little ones get plenty of doting at all times. It’s not that he thinks Kun doesn’t care, far from it, but in between the constant bickering and teasing, it’s easy to lose track of one another. At those times, Kun is always there to put them, their friendship, back in its place. 

“I’m searching for an enchantment similar to the one used for magical instruments, but that could be applied to a voice.”

Kun smiles in that irritating, all-knowing way of his. “So you’ve found the voice of your dreams?”

Ten just nods, ignoring the double meaning because, in all honesty, both ways of interpreting that sentence are equally true.

“It makes sense that it’d be Donghyuck. Didn’t you start dreaming again around the same time he showed up?”

Another nod. Ten clears his throat. “So, do you think you know something that could work?”

Kun smiles brightly, though the glint in his eyes holds the promise of many future teasings.

“You’re in luck. I know exactly what you need.”

♪♫♪

“I don’t get why you won’t practise with me,” Donghyuck whines, giving Ten his best puppy eyes as he flutters his eyelashes.

Ten quirks up an amused eyebrow, undeterred. “I’ve told you before, it’s not necessary.”

“What if the spell doesn’t work?”

“Are you questioning my expertise?”

Donghyuck narrows his eyes. “I see what you’re doing, and I won’t take the bait.”

Unfortunately, Donghyuck’s confidence around Ten increases a bit more with every conversation. Ten can’t help but miss his flustered demeanor whenever Ten made him believe he’d gone too far. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says still, because some things never change.

For once Donghyuck is the one to roll his eyes. Balance of the universe, Ten guesses, or something like that.

“Seriously, though, aren’t you nervous?”

It would be a lie to say he isn’t, at least a tiny bit. The spells aren’t that complex, so Ten doesn’t worry too much, but it’s unlike anything he’s done before. More than that, it’s the circumstances that frighten him, just a bit.

“Not about the enchantment,” he replies honestly. “The crowd, maybe. I’m used to one-on-one sessions, this will be my first time performing a spell in front of so many people.”

A tiny crease appears between Donghyuck’s brows. “Hold on, you haven’t done this before?”

Ten blinks, then shakes his head.

“Did I not mention that?”

“But—” Donghyuck’s frown deepens, like he’s struggling to process this. “You always stare at those musicians, and you know so much about it! Just the other day you were explaining to me how it works.”

Ten shrugs. “Who doesn’t enjoy witch musicians? Sure, I’ve always loved them and this isn’t my first time doing research on it, but I never thought of doing it myself. Besides, most of my friends are too busy to spend their time on music.”

Donghyuck doesn’t argue, but the lingering lines on his forehead show that he’s not fully accepting this explanation.

“Then how do you know it will work?”

Ten sighs, but he’s smiling. He knows that Donghyuck is just stressed, especially now that the day of the performance is steadily approaching. “If it’s any comfort, I’ve tested it on my _own_ voice and it worked just fine.”

He may be confident — even arrogant at times, Kun would argue — but he’s not cocky enough to perform without making sure nothing will go wrong. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll budge on his decision to not practise with Donghyuck. He knows the effect and, more importantly, Donghyuck’s reaction will be so much better if he leaves it as a surprise. Ten can almost imagine the way Donghyuck’s eyes will fill with wonder, and just the thought of witnessing that under the soft light of the full moon is enough to strengthen Ten’s resolve.

His words thankfully do appear to reassure Donghyuck. Unfortunately, this means he latches on to something else instead. “Wait, you sing too?”

“I most definitely do _not_.” Ten purses his lips, just to make a point.

Donghyuck doesn’t waver, clapping his hands together as he gets into Ten’s space with a grin. “You gotta! I’ve done my research too, music spells don’t work right if the instrument isn’t tuned! So by that logic, your voice _must_ be good.”

“It is not, and even if it were I’d like to reiterate that I do not sing,” Ten says, more frantically this time, but the battle is already lost.

“Sing with me,” Donghyuck demands, getting even closer.

Ten shakes his head. He really doesn’t sing, not unless you count humming along with the radio as he works on a potion. 

“ _Please_ ,” Donghyuck whines, drawing out the word like a child. He keeps repeating it afterwards, a long string of ‘please’s tumbling out of his mouth until he’s gasping for breath, only to start again. Ten kind of hates himself for feeling _fond_ , of all things, at the undeniably annoying behaviour. The Ten of a month ago would be ashamed. Then again, the Ten of a month ago was kind of a bitch.

He momentarily considers leaning in, closing the small gap between them to shut the boy up. The temptation is strong, but he draws back. He’s slowly coming to terms with wanting to kiss Donghyuck, but that doesn’t mean he wants it to happen like this.

“It’s not happening,” he says with a final tone, and Donghyuck falls silent. He grumbles some kind of acceptance, though the pout remains.

Ten doesn’t even bother to hide his smile as he ruffles Donghyuck’s hair, urging him to go back to work.

♪♫♪

After telling Kun about his plans, it was inevitable for the rest of his friends to find out. The news travelled quickly, to the point where yesterday even Johnny had called him, courtesy to Taeyong who’d heard about it from Sicheng who in his turn heard it from Kun. The call had been short, and had consisted of two full minutes of Johnny cackling, him saying ‘I told you so’ and then hanging up. Ten hadn’t been able to do anything but sigh.

Even Sicheng had teased Ten, a betrayal he hadn’t seen coming. Thank the stars for Yukhei and his heart of gold, making him the only friend that didn’t laugh in his face.

Despite their jokes, they all promised to be there for the performance, or apologised for not being able to make it. Ten is happy for his support, though he dreads the abomination that will be Donghyuck around his friends. He tells Donghyuck as much, when he’s taking a break from singing, gulping down a bottle of water.

“Wait, your friends are coming?” He asks, after nearly choking on his drink.

Ten gives him an odd look. “Yeah, aren’t yours?”

Donghyuck lowers his gaze, the bottle in his hand making an obnoxious sound as he squeezes it. “Well…”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t told them about it.”

“Okay, I won’t tell,” Donghyuck jokes weakly.

Ten sits down next to Donghyuck, frowning slightly. “Why haven’t you told them, Donghyuck?”

He keeps quiet, and Ten bites back another question, giving him time.

“I’m scared I’ll screw up,” Donghyuck finally admits. “Like, I _know_ they wouldn’t care, they’re my friends and they’ve always encouraged me when it comes to singing but…”

“But?”

“They’re all doing so well. In life, I mean. Like, Mark is graduating from uni soon and he’s already got a job ready for him. Jaemin is currently doing this paid internship at some big company and there’s no way they won’t keep him afterwards. He’s the same age as me, yet he already has his own place, a proper place, not some tiny flat, and he’s living with his boyfriend who _also_ somehow has his life together despite being a year younger and I—”

Ten places a hand on his back, rubbing small circles. “Breathe, Donghyuck.”

With a small nod, Donghyuck complies. “I just feel like somewhere along the road I fell behind, and I’ll never be able to catch up.”

“Have you talked to them about this?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want to make them feel guilty or anything. It was my decision to drop out after all, so I should bear the consequences.”

“Not alone, though,” Ten argues. “I’m sure your friends would be happy to help you in any way possible.”

Donghyuck shrugs, looking uncertain.

“Didn’t your friend Jaemin help you out with your stand?” Ten prompts.

At this, a small smile forms on Donghyuck’s face. “Yeah, we spent like a week on it, believe it or not. We had to restart from scratch on the third day because Chenle accidentally tripped over the stand and broke it when he came to pick Jaemin up.”

“Sounds like a mess.”

“Oh, it was.” Donghyuck lets out a short laugh. “I was fuming, until I saw the look on Chenle’s face. He was completely covered in glitter and glue, and he looked so confused! It took like an hour for Jaemin and I to stop laughing.”

Ten just smiles as he listens to Donghyuck talk, until he eventually falls silent again with a pensive expression.

“Talk to them, Donghyuckie. Wouldn’t it be nice to have their support on that big day?”

Hesitantly, Donghyuck nods. “I’ll talk to Mark first, he’ll be less dramatic about it. Maybe.”

“You do that, and let me know how it goes, okay?”

When Ten sees Donghyuck arrive at the market he’s working at two days later with a smile on his face and the news that his friends will be coming to the performance, Ten can only smile back with pride.

♪♫♪

“I’m gonna die.”

Ten rolls his eyes behind his closed eyelids, pressing a bit harder where he’s holding onto the sides of Donghyuck’s face.

“My voice will crack, or I’ll forget the lyrics and everyone will laugh and then I will die.”

“You’re not going to die. Now, be quiet and sit still before I make your hair fall off.”

That seems to do the trick. Ten mutters the spell under his breath, concentrating on the right colour. They could’ve just used hair dye, but Ten always had a preference for spells. It’s easier, faster and much less likely to turn you bald in the long run.

“You can do that?”

Ten huffs. “If I can dye your hair with magic, why wouldn’t I be able to get rid of it completely?”

“You can’t know for sure until you try, though!” 

Squinting one eye open, Ten peeks at Donghyuck’s cheeky expression and gives him an unimpressed look. “Don’t test me, I’m still holding your head, and its fate, in my hands.”

Donghyuck flutters his eyelashes, grin widening. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

Ten raises his eyebrows, but Donghyuck’s smile doesn’t waver.

“Whatever,” he finally mutters, closing his eyes again.

The result is stunning. Ten had known Donghyuck would look good with silver hair, but even he couldn’t have predicted _this_. He looks almost ethereal, and Ten knows the effect will only be heightened by the glowing moonlight. The spell he used would turn Donghyuck’s hair luminous under the night sky and he briefly wonders how anyone will ever be able to look away.

“Does it look okay?” Donghyuck asks, a nervous edge to his voice.

Ten blinks rapidly, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “More than okay, I’d say.”

Donghyuck smiles, visibly relieved. Now excited, he stands up and walks over to the mirror hanging next to Ten’s bed. His eyes widen when they fall upon his reflection, lips forming a small ‘o’. Ten bites back a grin, satisfied by Donghyuck’s reaction.

“Pretty, right?”

Donghyuck’s gaze shifts to Ten before returning to his reflection. “The hair or me?”

From where he’s sitting on the bed, Ten can see the way he’s biting his lip to stop himself from smiling. 

“Both,” Ten says simply, because it’s the truth. The blush blossoming on Donghyuck’s cheeks feels awfully close to a reward.

“Come back here, we’re not done yet.” Ten pats the space next to him and Donghyuck quickly crawls back on the bed.

“We still have like, an hour,” he grumbles. “Why are you rushing?”

“There are other performances too, I’m sure you’d love to see them.” Ten knows that, when working at the Moon Market, it’s almost impossible to catch a glance of the bigger performances held on the central stage of the market. And from what Donghyuck had told him, Ten is willing to bet that he didn’t pay attention to them the first time he visited either.

“I’ll probably be too nervous to pay attention,” Donghyuck admits sheepishly.

“None of that.” Ten leans in, tapping Donghyuck’s cheek twice so that the corners of his mouth tilt up. “You’re gonna have a good time and enjoy yourself tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” Donghyuck repeats in a monotone voice, before giggling.

Ten shakes his head, holding on to the warmth in his chest threatening to spill. “Now, didn’t you say you wanted to do my makeup?”

The words have barely left his mouth before Donghyuck is basically vibrating with excitement.

“You’ll let me do it? For real?”

Ten shrugs. “Sure, why not. As long as it looks good.”

He doesn’t really use extensive makeup, content with the basics and a small spell here and there. It’s nothing like what Donghyuck has on whenever he’s behind his stand, the vibrant colours and drops of glitter that make him look out of this world. So when Donghyuck had mentioned something about wanting to do his makeup sometime, Ten had mentally jotted it down for later.

Now, he’s starting to regret that decision.

He hadn’t accounted for just how _close_ Donghyuck would have to get for this. Ten isn’t sure what to do with his eyes, awkwardly shifting his gaze from side to side to avoid meeting Donghyuck’s. Thankfully the other doesn’t seem to notice, too concentrated on his task. 

However, the concentration is a double edged sword; where Ten is saved from the embarrassment of being caught flustered, his suffering is intensified by the way Donghyuck is chewing his lip. It’s almost impossible to keep himself from staring, so Ten instead tries to focus on the picture hanging on his wall, somewhere over Donghyuck’s shoulder. 

When Donghyuck asks him to close his eyes so he can apply eyeshadow, Ten nearly sighs in relief.

Donghyuck’s fingertips are warm on his cheeks, the gentle touch evoking a buzz under his skin. Ten can hear him draw in a breath and hold it as he applies more pressure to his eyelids. When he exhales, his breath fans over Ten’s lips, making heat rise to his face.

“There,” Donghyuck mumbles, and before Ten can open his eyes he feels the soft press of lips against the tip of his nose, gone as fast as it appeared. His heart stutters.

Slowly, Ten opens his eyes. As he’d expected, Donghyuck’s cheeks are cherry-red, no doubt matching Ten’s own. _I want to kiss him so bad_ , Ten thinks, then drowns in the thought. 

_Not now_ , he reminds himself. _Not yet._

“Thank you,” he tells Donghyuck, taking his hand in his before letting go again. Donghyuck’s smile is as brilliant as ever, and Ten is happy to bask in its glow.

♪♫♪

Despite his earlier words, Donghyuck _does_ watch the other performances. Ten can tell by his sparkling eyes and awe-filled gasps that he’s enjoying it too, and he’s relieved that Donghyuck’s nerves appear to have subsided, at least for now.

Ten is struggling more with paying attention, his traitorous eyes always finding their way back to Donghyuck instead. He blames it on the fact that he’s seen these things before. 

Nevertheless, the other witch musicians are stunning. There’s a violinist who used a flame-induced rosin block on her bow so she could create sparks with her music. The sparks that appear with each rapid stroke create smoke that slowly gathers over her head in a dark cloud. Donghyuck elbows Ten in the side, pointing towards the cloud when it starts to morph into an image, the memory that the violinist has chosen to share gradually appearing. Ten nods, amused by Donghyuck’s childlike enthusiasm.

The violinist is followed by a flute player, whose instrument creates bubbles larger than their heads. Inside the bubbles are figures, waving and using all sorts of ways to catch the audience’s attention. Children scream with joy as they reach for them, gasping when the bubbles burst into a million sparkling drops at their touch. Ten doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of seeing this. The magic seems useless on the surface, but anyone who witnesses the joy it brings to people knows better.

Soon enough it’s their turn, and Ten can see the exact moment when Donghyuck’s nerves crash down on him again.

“Are your friends here yet?” Ten asks in an attempt to distract him while he leads them to the back of the stage. He shivers, hit by the cold now that they’ve escaped from the crowd. His breath forms small clouds before him, intermingling with Donghyuck’s. 

It had snowed last night, and Ten had been glad to discover that a thick layer had remained throughout the day. Even the stage is covered by it, the organisers of the event probably deeming it a waste to get rid of something so pretty. They’re right, as the snow only adds to the magic of it all. And it’ll make what Ten has planned all the easier.

“Yeah, I think I spotted Jaemin somewhere,” Donghyuck says. Once they’re backstage, he stands on his tiptoes to look at the crowd. “There, on the front row. Why did they have to be on the front row?”

Ten snorts, looking in the same direction Donghyuck is looking at. He quickly spots Renjun, who appears to be huddling for warmth in the chest of who must be Mark. Mark is talking to two other boys, laughing at something the one with pink hair says. Jaemin and Chenle, if Ten remembers correctly.

“Don’t worry, my friends can out-embarrass yours any day.” Right as he says it, he catches sight of Yangyang waving at him in the most obnoxious way possible. He’s accompanied by his boyfriends on either side of him. They’re more to the back, which Ten is grateful for, until he sees that the spots before them are taken by Kun, Yukhei and Jaehyun. A hint of nerves sparks to life in his stomach, but he stamps it down. He can do this.

“Is that a challenge?” Donghyuck teases, and Ten shoves him playfully.

“It’s a fact.”

Donghyuck is about to retort when the sound of music stops, and the witch musician playing before them starts thanking the audience. Donghyuck visibly pales.

“You’ll do amazing,” Ten assures him, taking both of Donghyuck’s hands in his. “They’re going to love you.”

“Stay with me?” Donghyuck asks, as if the answer isn’t obvious.

“For as long as you need me.” Ten smiles, lifting Donghyuck’s joined hands and dipping down to place a small kiss on the back of it before letting go.

He doesn’t get to release them for long before Donghyuck takes hold of one of his hands again, a determined look on his face. They walk on stage like that, hand in hand, ready to face the crowd.

The murmurs grow silent when they reach the centre. Ten closes his eyes, focusing on Donghyuck’s hand in his as he mumbles the spell to amplify Donghyuck’s voice.

Donghyuck stumbles over his greeting, clearly nervous, but Ten tightens his hold on his hand to calm him down. This seems to help him regain his confidence, and the rest of his introduction flows by seamlessly.

Then it’s time for the music. 

When the first note of the piano plays and Donghyuck takes a deep breath, Ten’s sole focus is on the magic coursing through his veins, eager to spill out.

He exhales and lets it go.

The song Donghyuck has chosen starts out slow, a tender lullaby. Ten hears a collective intake of breath from the crowd and knows the magic has started to take effect. Curious, he opens his eyes.

Small snowflakes are rising from the ground, twinkling as they ride on an intangible wind. Donghyuck’s voice doesn’t waver even as his eyes widen at the sight. The snowflakes seem to gravitate towards him, circling like planets around the sun, and Ten can’t help but note how fitting it is.

The pace of the song starts to pick up and the snowflakes twirl faster, increasing in volume as they surround Donghyuck — and by association, Ten. Soon they will completely block them from the eager eyes of the crowd. 

_Time to move on to the next phase,_ Ten thinks as he gently lets go of Donghyuck’s hand before taking a few steps back. Donghyuck’s eyes follow him, a tinge of panic in his gaze, but Ten just gives him a reassuring smile and gestures for him to turn back. Donghyuck complies, though the action seems reluctant.

He’s close to reaching the chorus now, and Ten balls his fists in concentration as he progresses into a new spell. The snowflakes start to slow down, some of them rising further into the air until they disappear completely. Then, the rest begin to rise too, slower. Some of the snowflakes have glued themselves to Donghyuck’s hair, making it sparkle. As the chorus finally starts, Donghyuck’s hair seems to float, almost as if he were underwater. He’s turned away from him, but Ten can hear the smile in his voice, making a familiar warmth explode in his chest.

There’s a collective gasp, some of the children even shouting in wonder, when Donghyuck’s feet rise from the ground.

The slightest wobble goes through Donghyuck’s voice, no doubt due to the surprise, but Ten knows the audience is too enraptured to notice. Besides, it’s more endearing than anything.

Donghyuck rises higher, until he’s about a metre from the ground and reaches a stop. Despite his confidence, Ten doesn’t want to risk getting Donghyuck hurt, even if the chances are slim.

While the crowd’s focus is on Donghyuck, Ten reaches for his back pocket. His hand wraps around the small seeds he’d put there earlier and he quickly takes them out, allowing Donghyuck’s voice to carry them away with the snowflakes. They’re imperceptible between the snow, but Ten knows they’re there, ready for the next song.

The song slows down again, Donghyuck gracefully lowering with it. The snowflakes, on contrast, rise up faster than they had before, collecting over their heads before shattering into grand fireworks right on the ending note of the song. Ten grins as he sees various looks of amazement on people’s faces.

The remains of the snowflakes rain down on them, glittering more than any kind of natural snow ever could. The crowd breaks into an applause and Ten’s eyes meet Donghyuck’s as the latter whips around to look at him with the biggest grin.

_Well done_ , Ten mouths, and relishes in the way Donghyuck glows with pride.

For the next song Ten has combined herbal spells with the musical ones, woven them together to match Donghyuck’s voice and bring life to his surroundings. Kun had even helped him out for some of it, suggesting slight changes and pointing Ten towards all the right books.

Small plants sprout from the snow as the song begins, and grow larger with every word escaping Donghyuck’s lips. Soon enough enormous flowers are blooming open, roses and tulips and orchids in all possible colours. They’ll only last for the length of the song, but Ten is still undeniably pleased with what he’s created. 

At the end of the song, the flowers’ petals drop, floating along with the wind Donghyuck’s voice has created before disappearing into nothingness. The stems crawl back into the snow, as if growing in reverse, and Ten knows that by the time the song has fully ended all that’ll remain will be small seeds buried in the snow.

The applause is even louder than before, various cheers coming not only from their friends, but complete strangers as well. Ten waits for Donghyuck to thank them, for him to bow and say goodbye, but instead he turns to Ten with a request.

“One more song.”

Ten furrows his brows, confused. They’d only planned these two songs, so unless Donghyuck has been practising a third one in secret, they should be at the end of their set. But he sees the trust in Donghyuck’s eyes and can’t do anything but return it.

So with a nod, and without a plan, he waits for Donghyuck to sing again. His magic will guide him, Ten knows, along with Donghyuck’s voice.

As the music starts, Ten thinks the chords sound familiar, though he isn’t sure where he’s heard it before. It’s a love song, that much quickly becomes clear. He has to force himself not to get distracted by the sweet words Donghyuck croons, instead focusing on his magic. Distantly, he muses that Donghyuck doesn’t really need the spell accompaniment, his voice enough to keep anyone’s eyes on him and only him.

Still, he murmurs an enchantment, the first one he can think of.

Immediately the sparkles Donghyuck has applied on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose light up like stars in the sky, casting a magical glow over his face. It looks lovely in the evening light and Ten takes a few seconds to admire his craft before continuing.

Using a spell with similar effects as the potion he’d used for Donghyuck’s palm reading, Ten draws golden dots in thin air. They’re all lined up at first, but then Ten gently blows them in Donghyuck’s direction, where they spread out to illuminate the singer. The night is darker now than when they’d started their performance and the Moon Market does have a surprisingly low budget when it comes to lighting. (Ten assumes it has more to do with the mystical yet cozy effect fairy lights and lanterns have on the place, but whatever.)

Donghyuck is in Ten’s handmade spotlight, and it’s impossible to look away.

Ten is about to move on to his next creation, but stills. The song has reached its chorus and just like that the last puzzle piece finally falls into place as he recognises it. This song, this exact love song is the one that has been haunting his dreams. Just like that, the last mystery left unanswered is solved and Ten’s heart stutters in his chest.

Unable to stop smiling, Ten creates another drawing, bigger this time. A large sun, big enough that it starts by his waist and reaches up to over his head. It’s more intricate than anything Ten has created in this way before; works like these he usually saves for doodles in the margins of spell books, but he tries to make it as beautiful as he can in the time he’s given. Once finished, he gives it a careful push upwards so that it rises above the stage. It’s rotating, giving it an almost hypnotizing effect.

When he’s certain it won’t come crashing down or float away, Ten directs his gaze back to Donghyuck, who’s already looking at him. The look in his eyes is so happy, so full of mirth and love that Ten can’t stop himself from stepping forward, taking place next to Donghyuck underneath the crafted sun.

As they stand there, looking into each other’s eyes, Donghyuck’s voice grows softer, lower. Like there’s no one else but them in the world, and this song is meant for them alone. The stage, the crowd, their friends and all worries turn to dust when Donghyuck finishes the last verse with a dazzling smile.

Ten lets go of the magic that’s still working, not paying attention to the sun and stars around them that turn to dust. Donghyuck must feel the magic leave his voice, because the next words he speaks are meant for Ten alone.

“We did it,” he whispers, still smiling. He looks the happiest Ten has ever seen him, and Ten thinks his heart might burst if he doesn’t do something right now.

Instead of answering, he takes another step forward, gently cupping Donghyuck’s face with his hands. Donghyuck leans into the touch, though his eyes widen in surprise. His mouth falls open as if to say something, but before he gets the chance to Ten leans in and connects their lips.

He can feel Donghyuck gasp against his mouth before pressing back with more force. Ten laughs at his obvious eagerness and Donghyuck pulls back to pout at him.

“Cute,” Ten murmurs, and Donghyuck moves forward to bury his blushing face into the crook of Ten’s neck. 

This only makes Ten laugh harder, but he wraps his arms around Donghyuck nonetheless.

It’s only then that he realises they’re still standing on stage and the applause has started to fade. Almost automatically, his eyes meet Kun’s, who’s looking at him with raised eyebrows. 

For once, Ten can’t even be bothered to feel embarrassed, so instead he sticks out his tongue before turning his gaze back to Donghyuck.

“We might not want to do this on stage,” he says softly, smiling when he feels Donghyuck freeze up in realisation.

“Oh no,” Donghyuck whispers, finally pulling back. His hair is all over the place, so Ten reaches out to smoothen it, just because he can. “They’re never gonna let me live after this.”

Ten hums. “Worth it.”

Donghyuck puffs out his cheeks, looking ready to argue, but then his lips curl into an adoring smile. “Yeah, for sure.”

They exit the stage without saying goodbye. Most of the crowd has already dispersed, anyway. As soon as they’re backstage, Donghyuck pulls him back in for a kiss. 

“Make it last while we can, before our friends get here.”

Ten can’t fault that logic, so he doesn’t complain. Not that he would otherwise. He smiles into the kiss and pulls Donghyuck closer, not planning on ever letting go.

♪♫♪

They claim that there’s not a magical thing the Moon Market can’t provide, and Ten agrees wholeheartedly. This ranges from potions to spell books, from fortune tellers to curse breakers and, a recent addition, boyfriends. 

Maybe not exactly a magical boyfriend, at least not in the way Ten used to think matters, but that’s okay. Donghyuck is not a witch, but when he lights up the room with his smile at the end of his first performance in Enchanted, Ten feels a whole different kind of magic in his veins. And when he interrupts Donghyuck’s excited rambles with a kiss like he’s been wanting to do for longer than he cares to admit, he knows that there’s nothing more magical than this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and make sure to leave kudos/comments/bookmarks if you liked it! I'm thinking about maybe writing a spinoff for Yangyang and his lovely boyfriends, so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.
> 
> That's it for now, if you wanna talk you can find on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/tentoheaven) :D
> 
> (The cat-themed tarot cards described in this fic are real and can be bought [here](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Tarot-78-Cards-Guidebook/dp/145217363X), in case anyone wants to know.)


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